Cognitive Behavior Management Theory Concepts

While the underlying theory of cognitive behavioral management is related to social learning theory, there are many theoretical constructs which concern us in delineating a full understanding of how it is used. While it is relatively easy to suggest that thought controls behavior, meaning of course, that if you believe that you are superman, you will try to fly, this simple construct is not easy. It requires much more, because in many senses it is self reflective. Not only do we need to help people with problems in living learn to attend to their internal dialogue as a means to making choices about change, but we must understand that as theorists and clinicians, we must also attend and make choices. The simple becomes difficult when we attempt to break through our own belief systems and deal with the dichotomies of our own internal realities and those of a broader world perspective. In order to help you examine these issues we include short papers on a a variety of subjects.

Theory Content

01 Quick Concepts of Cognitive Behavior Management

Birds fly because they believe they can; one moment of doubt and they would plummet to the earth. Unknown The centipede was happy quite Until the toad, in fun, Said, pray, which leg moves after which? This raised her doubts to such a pitch She fell distracted in the...

02 The Language of Change

The Language of Change – Paul Watzlawick, 1978 One can free children from warts by ‘purchasing’ them. In practice this is achieved by giving the child a coin for, and thus laying claim to, his wart. As a rule the child then asks - amused or bewildered - how he is...

03 Biological Theory Underpinning

A Biological Theory To Underpin Cognitive Behavior Management: There are fundamental laws about complex systems, but they are new kinds of laws. They are laws of structure and organization and scale, and they simply vanish when you focus on the individual constituents...

04 Percepts & Concepts

“One of the deepest problems in cognitive science is that of understanding how people make sense of the vast amount of raw data constantly bombarding them from the environment” [Hofstadter, 1995]. How do perceptions occur and formulate conceptions? The lowest...

05 Belief Systems

What people believe to be true is that which is coherent to their already established cache of truisms. This cache is developed over time and is significantly shaped by the significant people in the environment. Its development is monitored by the rigor with which...

06 Communication

Since human services provided to people with problems in living are contingent upon the sharing of information, it is surprising how little concern has been shown in regard to our words. If we intend to help people help themselves, it is imperative that we examine closely our words. It is difficult to change a language. But there is a subtle degree of truth to our language as well. We need to examine truly our own mental schema and evaluate how much we believe these terms. If thinking controls behavior and communication is a behavior, we must posit that the use of words has at least some bearing on our belief system.

07 Culture

The scientific study of human social life must concern itself with two different kinds of phenomena. On one hand, there are the thoughts and feelings that humans experience within their minds; on the other, there are the activities that constitute the human behavior...

08 Restructuring Judgement

Jeffrey Mishlove in The Roots of Consciousness describes an overview of cognitive science in psychology and provides an outline for consideration of how the intervention of cognitive restructuring works. Psychological research, he tells us, has identified numerous...

09 Language & Thinking

Abstract: Human beings have developed consciousness through the use of language symbols. With this innovation, humans became capable of an awareness of their own mental processes and through that event become amenable to modification and adaption of the very schemata which creates their reality. The result is that each individual, within some limitations, has the capacity to modify their own reality to make it more satisfying.

Disclaimer

Unless specifically noted all materials are written by Jerome R. Gardner. As you will see by the size of the library contents, the materials are substantial. Since most of the writing was developed as think papers and not for publication, there will inevitably be some areas without proper citation. If you come across any, please notify the site manager and it will be rectified. Other than that, readers may use all materials. While I would prefer recognition, it is not necessary.