Foundations and Theoretical Concepts Flashcards
7 cards from real CBT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Foundations and Theoretical Concepts flashcards as text
Albert Bandura's concept of 'self-efficacy' is most relevant to CBT because it predicts:
Answer: Whether a client believes they can successfully execute a behavior to achieve a desired outcome
Self-efficacy beliefs directly influence whether clients will attempt and persist at coping behaviors, making it central to CBT's focus on building competence and confidence.
The 'diathesis-stress model' as applied in CBT suggests that psychological disorders arise from:
Answer: An interaction between a pre-existing vulnerability and environmental stressors
The diathesis-stress model proposes that a pre-existing vulnerability (biological or psychological) interacts with environmental stress to produce a disorder.
Which of the following best illustrates the cognitive distortion of 'all-or-nothing thinking'?
Answer: Believing 'If I'm not perfect, I'm a complete failure'
All-or-nothing thinking (dichotomous thinking) involves evaluating experiences in absolute, black-and-white categories with no middle ground, such as perfect vs. complete failure.
The 'maintenance cycle' in CBT refers to:
Answer: How maladaptive behaviors and cognitions perpetuate and sustain a disorder
The maintenance cycle describes the feedback loop where avoidance, safety behaviors, and negative thoughts interact to keep a disorder going despite initial triggers resolving.
In CBT, 'metacognitive beliefs' refer to beliefs about:
Answer: One's own thinking processes and the nature of one's thoughts
Metacognitive beliefs are beliefs about thinking itself, such as 'worrying helps me prepare' or 'I cannot control my thoughts,' which are central targets in metacognitive therapy.
The 'ABC model' used in both REBT and CBT stands for:
Answer: Activating event, Belief, Consequence
Ellis's ABC model identifies the Activating event, the Belief about it, and the emotional/behavioral Consequence, showing that beliefs — not events — drive consequences.
Joseph Wolpe's technique of 'systematic desensitization' contributed to CBT by demonstrating that anxiety can be reduced through:
Answer: Graduated exposure paired with a competing relaxation response
Wolpe showed that pairing relaxation with a hierarchy of increasingly anxiety-provoking stimuli could systematically reduce conditioned fear responses.