According to cognitive therapy, what is the correct sequence of steps to help a client resolve anxiety and depression?
A. The therapist uses questioning, which is gentle, non-threatening disputation of a client’s beliefs and thoughts.
B. Cognitive restructuring in turn reduces anxiety and depression.
C. The client gains insight into the nature of her/his dysfunctional schemas, and is able to alter her/his cognitive structures.
D. The questions make a client think in a direction opposite to that of the negative automatic thoughts.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, D, C, B
In Beck’s cognitive therapy, negative automatic thoughts such as ‘nobody loves me’ or ‘I will not succeed’ lead to anxiety and depression. The therapy works on these thoughts in four steps.
A. The therapist uses questioning, which is gentle, non-threatening disputation of a client’s beliefs and thoughts. — first. The therapist asks questions such as ‘Why should everyone love you?’
D. The questions make a client think in a direction opposite to that of the negative automatic thoughts. — second. The questions turn the client’s thinking against the negative automatic thoughts.
C. The client gains insight into the nature of her/his dysfunctional schemas, and is able to alter her/his cognitive structures. — third. Thinking in the opposite direction gives the client insight, and the faulty cognitive structures change. This change is called cognitive restructuring.
B. Cognitive restructuring in turn reduces anxiety and depression. — last. The aim of the therapy, cognitive restructuring, reduces anxiety and depression, the problem the client came with.
NCERT (2025-26): “Cognitive Therapy … Repeated occurrence of these thoughts leads to the development of feelings of anxiety and depression. The therapist uses questioning, which is gentle, non-threatening disputation of the client’s beliefs and thoughts. Examples of such question would be, ‘Why should everyone love you?’, ‘What does it mean to you to succeed?’, etc. The questions make the client think in a direction opposite to that of the negative automatic thoughts whereby s/ he gains insight into the nature of her/ his dysfunctional schemas, and is able to alter her/his cognitive structures. The aim of the therapy is to achieve this cognitive restructuring which, in turn, reduces anxiety and depression.…” |