Life coaches, success gurus and others tout the benefits of positive thinking--optimism and staying focused on the positive aspects of a situation or experience. Cognitive therapy is an approach within cognitive-behavioral therapy--or CBT--and focuses on thoughts. Cognitive therapy works on the premise that perception and though influence feelings and behaviors. The concepts of positive thinking and cognitive therapy overlap, but they differ in important ways.
Self-Talk
Positive thinking revolves around self-talk, the continuous stream of thoughts running through the mind. These often reflexive thoughts can be positive or negative, or a combination of both. Self-talk may be grounded in reason or may spring from misconceptions or assumptions. An example of turning negative self-talk into positive thinking is reframing a negative thought--"I'll never get this project done"-- as a positive one--"I'm making good progress. One step at a time and I'll have this project finished."
Positive Thinking Significance
The Mayo Clinic touts the mental and physical health benefits of positive thinking, including: lowered rates of depression; greater immune-system vitality; reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease; and overall better psychological and physical well-being. Positive thinking leads to increased coping abilities, which reduce the harmful physical effects of stress, the Mayo Clinic states. Develop positive thinking by practicing positive self-talk and being encouraging to yourself.
Cognitive Therapy Theory
Psychiatrist Aaron Beck of the University of Pennsylvania developed cognitive therapy in the 1960s. Beck also created several widely accepted assessment tools including the Beck Depression Inventory. Cognitive therapy asserts that the way people perceive situations influences how they feel emotionally. It proposes that thoughts dictate feelings and behaviors. Cognitive therapy aims to teach people to identify and evaluate the truth of their distressing thoughts. It is generally brief and highly structured. It invariably entails homework, which may include mood or anxiety inventories or using automatic thought records--a type of journal used to develop awareness of automatic thoughts.
Cognitive Therapy Significance
The Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy describes the intent of cognitive therapy as solving current problems. "In addition," the institute asserts, "patients learn specific skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. These skills involve identifying distorted thinking, modifying beliefs, relating to others in different ways, and changing behaviors." Cognitive therapy usually decreases problematic symptoms within three to four weeks of regular therapy, according to the Beck Institute.
Comparison
Positive thinking and cognitive therapy share the core belief that thoughts matter, and that they shape feelings and behaviors. Positive thinking offers strategies for developing skills to think more optimistically--but it is not a therapy. Cognitive therapy, by contrast, is conducted in a very structured environment with the guidance of a therapist. Neither cognitive therapy nor positive thinking focuses on how the distressing or pessimistic thoughts came about, or the underlying issues that brought on such thoughts. Both methods aim to extinguish the distressing thoughts and create change. Cognitive therapy, however, delves slightly deeper into the nature of the automatic thoughts and assumptions before attempting to change them.
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