The Freudian antecedents of cognitive-behavioral therapy

The writings of Sigmund Freud are reviewed, showing the similarities of many of his concepts with those of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Automatic thoughts, core beliefs, and the desire to please the therapist are shown to have parallels in Freud's ideas about involuntary thoughts, the preconscious, the unconscious, and transference. Similarities in technique are noted especially in light of Freud's original ideas about suggestion and influence as well as latter-day discoveries regarding Freud's actual practices. III certain ways, CBT is closer to Freud than is classical psychoanalysis. A brief history of the attempts to integrate behaviorism with Freud is given, showing how Freud's objectifying of dream reports presaged the viewing of verbal reports as behavior. Other developments in cognitive psychology are also discussed with regards to Freud's ideas about information processing and the production of memories.