Although behaviorism is lacking in many ways from today's cognitive and behavioral school, it has enabled the emergence of theories whose value cannot be ignored, especially in the field of "classical conditioning". Classical conditioning, which Ivan Pavlov observed by chance in the laboratory, can be exemplified as a dog learning that its food will come with the sound of the bell through conditioning along with unconditioned stimuli (the sound of the bell). In the following years, Albert Watson's "Little Albert" experiment showed how phobic reactions could be taught to humans through classical conditioning. Watson was so confident that he defended how classical conditioning could shape a person to his liking: "Give me a dozen healthy babies, and by raising them in my own special behaviorist ways, I can turn them into doctors, lawyers, artists, shopkeepers, even beggars or thieves, without the need for anything else" (Watson 1920). B. F. Skinner, who will systematize behaviorism and introduce it to the world in the future, brought the concept of "operant conditioning" to the literature and took the concept of conditioning to the next level. In principle, operant conditioning creates a conditioning that causes the frequency of the behaviors performed by the organism to change. In addition to the motor behaviors caused by classical conditioning, voluntary behaviors with increased frequency have also been observed. When we examined Skinner's mechanism in which mice take cheese by pressing a pedal, it was observed that the mice repeated this behavior in order to get more cheese as they obtained the cheese. Although these studies were observed from a behaviorist perspective at that time, it is obvious that there is an invisible cognitive awareness that behaviorism cannot explain.
Although the fathers of cognitive theory observed studies in an experimental perspective, they were scientists who worked outside this field. Although the experiments carried out in the laboratory and the work of clinicians were the triggering force in the birth of cognitive theory, the real creators of cognitive theory laid the foundation of cognitive and behavioral therapies while working with a psychodynamic perspective. Aaron T. Beck and Albert Ellis have introduced a very new and well-established therapy school to the mental health sector, which has been dominated by psychodynamic therapies for years. When we examine the basic principles of cognitive and behavioral therapies, we see that it is based on the philosophy of the thinker Epictetus, who lived centuries ago. This philosophy adopts a way of thinking in which people only harm or benefit themselves with their own attitudes and beliefs, and external factors are shaped only according to the value that people value. Modern cognitive theory has not lost its philosophical basis and has continued to grow within the framework of modern theories. The first step for the systematization of cognitive therapies was shaped by Albert Ellis' psychodynamic view, which is similar to classical behaviorism, ignoring cognitive processes and leaving them incomplete. Human consciousness worked very differently from the animal subjects we observed in classical conditioning experiments. It should not be overlooked that in addition to the negative experiences that we will only observe in a short time, there are also cognitive injuries that cause permanent damage to the human mind. In this regard, Ellis changed the course of therapy by putting the thoughts and beliefs of the individual on the basis of cognitive therapy. The views of Beck, another important name that enabled cognitive therapies to reach their current position, also supported Ellis. Beck studied dreams for a long time under the influence of his own teachers. During her session experiences, she realized that she could make mistakes while interpreting the thoughts of her clients while working with a psychodynamic perspective. Since it is difficult to predict the complex human mind in this regard, it has prioritized the problems seen on the surface rather than the internal and deep problems. Today's cognitive and behavioral therapy methods basically focus on the reason for the patient's arrival and adopt the principle of solving the problem. Beck, who basically works on patients diagnosed with depression, has introduced the concept of "mode", which includes schemas, to the literature. Later, in other pathologies, the treatment process was systematized by creating comprehensive cognitive models by considering the concepts of schema and mode. Today, with the influence of these two important names, cognitive and behavioral therapy schools continue to develop.
Third-generation cognitive and behavioral approaches, which deal with the concept of emotion more visibly, differ from the views of Beck and Ellis in certain ways. In particular, mindfullness and acceptance and determination-based CBT approaches help the treatment process at the points where classical CBT is lacking. Especially with the effect of technology and industrialization, the alienation and loneliness of people towards themselves and society has paved the way for the birth of these therapy methods. With minddullness-based approaches, it is aimed for the person to have insight and gain awareness, while in the CBT school, which focuses on acceptance and determination, it sees acceptance as a way of well-being while fighting negative emotions and thoughts. Today, Meta cognitive therapies, which are based on regulating the functioning of metacognition with Adrian Wells, are another third-generation therapy approach. Metacognitive therapy aims to heal by controlling a person's metacognitive thoughts, in other words, "thinking about thinking". As a result, therapy schools have been shaped according to the structure of the society and the needs of the individual from past to present. It is inevitable that new therapy schools will be formed in the future and that they will benefit the people of the future. In this regard, we should not forget that positive sciences progress through accumulation, and we should shape the field of mental health in line with the needs of time and place.
References
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Türkçapar, M. H., & Sargın, A. E. (2012). Bilişsel davranışçı psikoterapiler: tarihçe ve gelişim. Bilişsel Davranışçı Psikoterapi ve Araştırmalar Dergisi, 1(1), 7-14.
Vatan, S. (2016). Bilişsel davranışçı terapilerde üçüncü kuşak yaklaşımlar. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 8(3), 190-203.
