Dr Aaron Beck, an American psychiatrist considered the father of cognitive behavioural therapy, has died aged 100 on the 1st of Nov 2021.
Dr. Beck was a young psychiatrist trained in Freudian analysis when, in the late 1950s, he began prompting patients to focus on distortions in their day-to-day thinking, rather than on conflicts buried in childhood. He discovered that many people generated what he called “automatic thoughts,” unexamined assumptions which can give rise to self-criticism and despair. His work, along with that of Albert Ellis, a psychologist working independently, provided the architecture for what is known as cognitive behavior therapy, or C.B.T.
Over the past several decades, C.B.T. has become by far the world’s most extensively studied form of psychotherapy. In England, it forms the basis for a nationwide treatment program offering a number of related talk therapies. Dr Beck died peacefully at home on Monday morning, according to a statement from the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy that he and his daughter – Dr Judith Beck, co-founded. A statement from his daughter said he had “transformed the field of mental health” with his life’s work. His daughter went on to state that he had “succeeded beyond our expectations” with their institute’s work. “We now honour my father’s legacy as we continue his work and further his mission of helping individuals live healthier, happier and more meaningful lives,” her statement said.
Dr Beck is survived by his wife of more than 70 years, former state Judge Phyllis Beck, who was also a former Penn law school vice dean, along with three other children, 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.