Describe Beck's cognitive theory and therapy.

This is an information processing model of psychopathology.  Problems come from the biased processing of external events or internal stimuli.  These biases distort the ways people make sense of their world, leading to cognitive errors.  Underlying the bias are schemas that contain dysfunctional beliefs.  When these schemas become activated they bias how the person processes information.  For example, in depression, people tend to make negative interpretations about themselves, their world and their future.  In therapy, clients are made aware of the connection between thinking and emotional response.  They are taught to identify their automatic thoughts, the logical errors in thinking they are making and how to challenge their validity.  Clients are encourage to gather information on their own and test their beliefs as hypotheses.