Psychologist Aaron Beck Biography

Aaron Temkin Beck was born on July 18, 1921, in Providence, Rhode Island, as the youngest of five children. Beck graduated from Brown University in 1942 where he majored in English and Political Science. He earned his M.D. from Yale University in 1946. In 1950, Beck married Phyllis W. Beck and the couple had four children. His daughter, Judith S. Beck, is also an influential ​cognitive-behavior therapist who is the President of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy.

Best Known For

• Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)
• Beck Depression Inventory
• Beck Hopelessness Scale
• Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Career

Beck entered Yale intent on studying psychiatry, but became discouraged after taking his first course in psychoanalysis, which he initially viewed as "nonsense." Eventually, after completing a psychiatric rotation, he became fascinated with the psychoanalytic approach and what how easy it the approach made it to answer questions about psychological disorders. “I have come to the conclusion,” Beck wrote in a 1958 letter to a colleague, “that there is one conceptual system that is peculiarly suitable for the needs of the medical student and physician-to-be: Psychoanalysis.”

Beck spent much of his early career studying and researching psychoanalysis, particularly for treatment of depression. After a few years of practicing psychoanalytic therapy, Beck began to find that the approach lacked the scientific rigor, structure, and empirical evidence that he desired. His interests shifted to the cognitive approach, and his research in this area intensified after taking a job in the psychiatry department at the University of Pennsylvania where he established a depression research clinic.

His focus soon shifted to helping patients identify these negative automatic thoughts and replace them with more realistic and accurate thoughts in order to minimize distorted thinking patterns contributing to depression. Successfully treating any disorder, Beck found, involved making patients aware of these negative thought patterns. This approach to treatment eventually became known as cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT).

Contributions to Psychology

In addition to his widely used assessment scales, Beck has published more than 600 professional papers and 24 books over the course of his career. Beck has also received numerous honors for his work including five honorary degrees, the Lienhard Award from the Institute of Medicine, and the Kennedy Community Health Award.

Today, Beck continues to serve as Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. His work has influenced numerous psychologists including Martin Seligman and his daughter Judith S. Beck.

Select Publications

Beck, A.T. (1967). The diagnosis and management of depression. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Beck, A.T. (1970). Depression: Causes and treatment. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Beck, A.T. (1975). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York, NY: Meridian.

Beck, A.T., Rush, A.J., Shaw, B.F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Beck, A.T., Freeman, A., & Davis, D.D. (2003). Cognitive therapy of personality disorders. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Beck, A.T., Emery, G., & Greenberg, R.L. (2005). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Clark, D.A., & Beck, A.T. (2010). Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: Science and practice. New York, NY: Guilford Press.