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.
Leif Skoogfors / Getty Images
In 1950, Beck married Phyllis W. Beck and the couple had four children.
Beck discovered that his depressed patients often experienced spontaneous negative thoughts about themselves, the world, and others.
Patients who ruminated on these thoughts then began to treat them as valid and accurate.
Successfully treating any disorder, Beck found, involved making patients aware of these negative thought patterns.
This approach to treatment eventually became known ascognitive-behavior therapy(CBT).
Today, Beck continues to serve as Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.
His work has influenced numerous psychologists includingMartin Seligmanand 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.
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.
New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Beck AT.A 60-year evolution of cognitive theory and therapy.Perspect Psychol Sci.
2019;14(1):16-20. doi:10.1177/1745691618804187
Fenn K, Byrne M.The key principles of cognitive behavioural therapy.InnovAiT.
2013;6(9):579-585. doi:10.1177/1755738012471029
Spicher, A. R. (2008).
Beck, Aaron Temkin.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book.
