1. behavioral theory,  which is basically about how we learn behaviors through a series of consequences;

2. social learning theory,  which holds that we have learned to do certain things that are fundamental to us, and have come to believe in certain basic “truths” through what we’ve observed in life and by the example of others. These, together with the sets of mental expectations that they create, drive our behavior;

3. cognitive theory and therapy,  which focuses on one’s thoughts, “assumptions,” “core beliefs,” attitudes, and attributions, believes that these not only deeply affect what you do, but that they also connect your feelings to how you behave. This theory says that your thoughts and fundamental ways-of-thinking are the medium through which your emotions turn into behaviors.

Most treatment that is called “cognitive-behavioral” combines the prominent features of these three theoretical approaches. Perhaps this style of helping is most significant for the fact that it meets troubled feelings and unwanted behaviors head-on. Even where the therapist and the client believe that problems started with or were caused by a complex history of experiences, relationships and psychogbiology, the cognitive-behavioral perspective allows the most immediate and concrete dysfunctional effects to be ameliorated by a relatively simple remedy: If your examine and evaluate your ways of thinking and how you feel when you think in those ways, you gain some latitude for choosing how to behave.

My own conviction is that clients who undertake the long haul of psychodynamic therapy can feel relieved and empowered when they discover the ability to “take themselves in hand,” in at least some respects, and feel better and do better in the short term. What is also true is that not every emotional or behavioral issue has a deep origin that requires a mental archeological dig! In some circumstances, a cognitive-behavioral approach is simply the best tool for the job. It is practical because it is deeply human, bringing to bear on our problems our most distinctly human powers, reason and will.