Aaron Temkin Beck

Infobox_Scientist
name = Aaron Temkin Beck


caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1921|7|18|mf=y
birth_place = Providence, Rhode Island
death_date =
death_place =
residence = United States
nationality = American
field = Psychiatrist
work_institution = University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Treatment and Prevention of Suicide
alma_mater = Brown University, Yale Medical School
doctoral_advisor =
doctoral_students =
known_for = his research on psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics
prizes = 2006 Lasker Award
religion =
footnotes =

Aaron Temkin Beck (born July 18, 1921) is an American psychiatrist and a professor emeritus at the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Beck is known as the father of Cognitive Therapy and inventor of the widely used Beck Scales, including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Hopelessness Scale, Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Youth Inventories. [ [http://www.beckinstitute.org/InfoID/31/RedirectPath/Add1/FolderID/198/SessionID/{C9FC0D43-19E5-4A44-9AF7-832A58C4BA5A}/InfoGroup/Main/InfoType/Article/PageVars/Library/InfoManage/Zoom.htm "Beck Scales for Adults and Children"] Beck Institute for Cognitive Threapy and Research. Retrieved on 2007-1-11] He is the President of the [http://www.beckinstitute.org/FolderID/196/SessionID/{C9FC0D43-19E5-4A44-9AF7-832A58C4BA5A}/PageVars/Library/InfoManage/Guide.htm Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research] and the Honorary President of the [http://www.academyofct.org Academy of Cognitive Therapy] , which certifies qualified Cognitive Therapists.

Biography

Early life

Aaron Beck was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the youngest child of his three siblings. Beck’s parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. His birth followed the death of a sister to an influenza epidemic. After the daughter’s death, Beck’s mother became severely depressed; this depression was lifted when Beck was born. Beck claimed this is where his need for control rooted itself. Beck had feelings of stupidity and incompetence after a near fatal illness caused from an infection from a broken arm. However, Beck taught himself how to work through his fears and problems cognitively; this is what sparked the development of his theory and therapies in later years. Facts|date=February 2007

Marriage and children

Beck is married to Phyllis Whitman, and has four children, Roy, Judy, Dan, and Alice, and eight grandchildren. His daughter, Dr. Judith Beck, has helped him with his research.

Education

Beck attended Brown University, graduating "magna cum laude" in 1942. At Brown he was elected a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, was an associate editor of the "Brown Daily Herald", and received the Francis Wayland Scholarship, William Gaston Prize for Excellence in Oratory, and Philo Sherman Bennett Essay Award. Beck attended Yale Medical School, graduating with an M.D. in 1946.

Career

Beck is the director of the Center for the Treatment and Prevention of Suicide.Fact|date=October 2007

Beck believes that depression is due to negative views. He believes that these negative views are towards the self, world, and future in particular. These negative views are "idiosyncratic." Depressed people say things like "I can't do my job" or "Nobody cares about me." These negative views would in turn trigger depression in a personal context.

Notable Events

Beck is noted for his research in psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics, which led to his creation of Cognitive Therapy, for which he received the [http://www.laskerfoundation.org/awards/library/2006c_cit.shtml 2006 Lasker award] , and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), one of the most widely used instruments for measuring depression severity. Beck is also known for his creation of the Beck Hopelessness Scale and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and has founded the Beck Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in which his daughter, Dr. Judith Beck, works. Beck believed that depression is due to unrealistic negative views about the world. Depressed people have a negative cognition in three areas that are placed into the depressive triad. They develop negative views about: themselves, the world, and their future. Beck starts treatment by engaging in conversation with clients about their negative thoughts.Fact|date=October 2007 Cognitive therapy has also been applied with success to individuals with anxiety disorders, schizophrenia [http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/000991.html] , and many other disorders. In recent years, cognitive therapy has been disseminated outside academic settings, including throughout the United Kingdom, and in a program developed by Dr. Beck and the City of Philadelphia. [http://www.phila.gov/dbhmrs/initiatives/EBP/academic_partnerships/index.html]

References

Works

Published books

*Beck, A.T., "Depression: Causes and Treatment". University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972. - ISBN 978-0812276527
*Beck, A.T., "Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders". Intl Universities Press, 1975. - ISBN 0823609901
*Beck, A.T., Rush, A.J., Shaw, B.F., Emery, G., "Cognitive Therapy of Depression". The Guilford Press, 1979. - ISBN 0898620007
*Scott, J., Williams, J.M., Beck, A.T., "Cognitive Therapy in Clinical Practice: An Illustrative Casebook". Routledge, 1989. - ISBN 0-415-00518-3
*Alford, B.A., Beck, A.T., "The Integrative Power of Cognitive Therapy". The Guilford Press, 1998. - ISBN 1-57230-396-4
*Beck, A.T., "Prisoners of Hate: The Cognitive Basis of Anger, Hostility, and Violence". HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. - ISBN 0060193778
*Clark, D.A., Beck, A.T.,-55798-789-0
*Beck, A.T., Freeman, A., and Davis, D.D., "Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders". The Guilford Press, 2003. - ISBN 1-57230-856-7
*Wright, J.H., Thase, M.E., Beck, A.T., Ludgate, J.W., "Cognitive Therapy with Inpatients: Developing A Cognitive Milieu". The Guilford Press, 2003. - ISBN 0-89862-890-3
*Winterowd, C., Beck, A.T., Gruener, D., "Cognitive Therapy With Chronic Pain Patients". Springer Publishing Company, 2003. - ISBN 0-8261-4595-7
*Beck, A.T., Emery, G., and Greenberg, R.L., "Anxiety Disorders And Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective". Basic Books, 2005. - ISBN 0-465-00587-X

ee also

* Albert Ellis
* David D. Burns
* Cognitive therapy
* Heather Ziegemeier

External links

* [http://www.beckinstitute.org Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research]
* [http://www.cttoday.org Cognitive Therapy Today] (Beck Institute's Blog)
* [http://www.academyofct.org Academy of Cognitive Therapy]
* [http://www.cpaaronbeck.com/ Centro de Psicología AARON BECK España]
* [http://hcr3.isiknowledge.com/author.cgi?id=1645&cb=3391 A Beck biography and list of publications]
* [http://www.psychotherapy.ro/ The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health]
* [http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/05/23/1/a-discussion-about-the-legacy-of-sigmund-freud Charlie Rose interview Aaron T. Beck and others - 58 mins interview video]

Persondata
NAME=Beck, Aaron T. Beck
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Dr. Beck, Dr. A. T. Beck, Doc.
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American Psychiatrist
DATE OF BIRTH=July 18, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH=Providence, Rhode Island
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=