CBT

Cognitive Behavior Theory [CBT]

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
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Background

Cognitive Behavior Theory has been successfully used to treat many psychological problems.� The infamous Mr. P (please read the KTC's page first) was exposed to CBT the summer of 2000 when he spent a month working with patients at a suicide failure clinic in Austin.� (They were not teaching the patients how to succeed, it is just that they could not help successful suicide patients!)� There he learned a practical understanding of CBT and its effectiveness in treating distorted thoughts.� He discovered that many of his Algebra students suffered from the same distorted thoughts as the suicide patients.� For example, the most popular distorted thoughts he heard were: �"I am no good at math."� "I was never any good at math.."� "No one in my family is good at math."� Why are these distorted thoughts?� They simply are not true.� Everyone of his students, including those that made statements like these, never made a mistake when adding 2 to 4, reciting the number of sides of a square or triangle, or performing other similar mathematical exercises.� They were all experts.� However, they would cry that declaring them experts was not fair, they did not understand the current material at all.� Now that is a different problem yet the solution required that Mr. P use CBT to help correct the students downward spiral in their thoughts about mathematics.� What the students did not realize before Mr. P's class was that mathematics is the foundation of thinking.� If they did not understand mathematics they would always suffer from poor thinking.

So how does CBT work?

CBT, in layman's terms, is a simple theory on how the mind works.� It relates external events, whether real, imagined or recalled, to triggering instantaneous thoughts.� These instantaneous thoughts in turn trigger an emotional response.� This emotional response provides the shaping for a reaction which in turn, typically triggers another external event (or recalled event).�

A little example of the CBT Cycle in action

External event:�� Student: Looking at an assigned problem in the textbook
Instant thought:�� "I don't understand this problem."
Emotion:��   Fear of failure
Reaction:�� "Mom do you understand this problem?"
External event:�� Mom says "I don't understand it either."
Instant thought:�� "It must be difficult.";� "Mom is smarter than me."� "This is too hard."
Emotion:��   Hopeful for some relief
Reaction:�� "Mom, do I need to be good at math?"
External event:�� Mom says "No, I was never any good at math."
Instant thought:�� "I am not ever going to be any good at math either."� "I am just like mom ."
Emotion:��   Relief
Reaction:�� Put the homework aside.
External event:�� Mom smiles with understanding.
Comment:��    Mom has now passed on her distorted thoughts about mathematics,                                             developed when she was young, to her child.� This is a tragedy that Mr. P saw                             everyday.

Almost all psychological theories discuss successful ways to treat hurtful or undesirable reactions.� Traditional psychology tries to teach the patient how to 'deal' with the emotion or feeling.� In other words, traditional theory tries to break this cycle between Emotion and Reaction.� Old theories tried to suppress the emotion, new theories to release the emotion.� However, CBT breaks this cycle initially between the Instantaneous Thought and the Emotion.� Then after the patient has practiced diligently, the practice becomes habit and the break moves between the External Event and the Instantaneous Thought where it belongs.� The External Event no longer triggers the Instantaneous Thought which triggered the Emotion that resulted in a hurtful or undesirable Reaction.

How does CBT break this cycle after the Instantaneous Thought?�

Fortunately, almost all emotions that result in undesirable reactions are triggered by distorted thoughts.� These thoughts are simply not the whole truth.� These thoughts can be recognized and replaced by 'true' thoughts before the emotion has had time to fully develop.� These 'true' thoughts provide a more accurate emotional response which typically results in more favorable reactions.� Keep in mind that CBT does not solve all problems, just a lot of them.� That is why CBT is now being used in personnel management.

...

Summary

Perhaps a few quotes from Mr. P's Algebra students at the end of the year will be testament as to why CBT should be used in teaching mathematics.

Mileyva: "You gave me hope and helped me believe in myself that I can pass math.� You've also helped me think more positively about myself."

Luke: "I never used to like math and I never used to be good at it.� I still don't like it but because of you I am a lot better at it."

Sarah: "You have performed miracles with me when it comes to math.� I have never done well in math until this year and now look, I'm exempting your final!� It wasn't until this year that I believed I could do well, & laughed at what you said in the beginning of the year when you said we were all 'A' students.� You've given me a totally new attitude going into challenging classes next year & in college."

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