Abnormal Psychology Essay: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Analysis

This essay, written for an Abnormal Psychology course, explores the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating various psychological disorders. The student highlights the advantages of CBT, including its applicability to common disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as its relatively short treatment duration. The essay also discusses the potential for integrating CBT with psychoanalytic perspectives to address underlying issues and prevent relapses. It emphasizes the student's preference for an integrative approach, combining the strengths of both CBT and psychoanalytic methods. The essay references Nevid et al.'s 'Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World' and provides a personal reflection on the therapeutic approaches studied throughout the semester. Additionally, the student addresses specific assessment questions related to Borderline Personality Disorder, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. This essay provides a strong argument for the practical application of CBT in the field of psychology.

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Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Abnormal Psychology
The current generation is faced with a myriad of psychological disorders that alter their way
of life as well as their well-being. Over the semester, such issues have been covered, and the
insights were enriching and informative on how to treat the disorders. Particularly, I found
that cognitive behavioral approaches are more interesting in regards to treating different
psychological disorders among patients. The approach is not only interesting to learn but also
applicable to most of the mental related illnesses that people face in their daily lives.
Cognitive Behavioral Theory
Cognitive theory is an approach in psychology that attempts to study and explain
human behaviors about their thought processes and emotions (Nevid et al. 261). Through this
theoretical perspective, cognitive behavioral therapy was born, and it is being applied to treat
problems and boost happiness and well-being among patients. Ideally, a cognitive behavior
approach utilizes a modification of dysfunctional behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs to boost
human happiness and overall well-being. Although the approach is not the only mechanism to
help mentally ill patients, it covers most of the common psychological disorders including
depression, anxiety, stress, obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic stress and eating disorders
among others (Nevid et al. 509).
Since some psychological disorders are worsened by the personalities of individuals,
psychoanalytic perspectives incorporate well with cognitive behavioral approaches in treating
patients. Notably, through psychoanalytic therapy, the past events or childhood experienced
that triggers psychological problems at an adult age can be identified and appropriate

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cognitive approaches used to treat the illness. For instance, the psychoanalytic perspective
can be used to identify the unconscious impulses triggered by past traumatic events in a
person. Cognitive behavioral therapy is then used to treat the patient by modifying his/her
beliefs (Nevid et al. 115). For this reason, I find both approaches interesting due to the
interdependence that exists between them when applied correctly.
Why the Theories are Interesting
Based on the lessons learned throughout the course, it is apparent that cognitive
behavioral approaches are the most successful and applicable to the common psychological
disorders. Furthermore, the theory is most compelling to apply in treatments as it tackles the
current problems without relying more on the past issue of the patient. Notably, I find this
kind of therapy more interesting as it can be completed over a short period and be useful in
helping the patients. However, the therapy does not help the problem go away entirely but
rather help individual recover and start living a normal life despite the illness (Nevid et al.
108).
Furthermore, based on the prevalence of PTSD, depression, anxiety and eating
disorders in most individuals, cognitive approaches are best applicable in reducing their
intensity in the society. Additionally, the approach can be used together with psychoanalytic
perspectives to treat patients completely and reduce the chances of relapses significantly.
Despite the two models being utterly different in their approaches, I would love to combine
them and offer the best treatment to the affected individuals. In collaboration with
psychoanalytic approaches, I can define myself as an integrative therapist.

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Work Cited
Nevid, Jeffrey S et al. Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World. 10th ed., Pearson
Publishers, 2017.