Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A Transformative Approach to Negative Appraisals of Religious Origin

Abstract

This paper discusses ways of transforming personal appraisals of religious origin through the use of cognitive behavioural therapeutic approaches. In the introduction, an account is presented of the theoretical background of cognitive behavioural therapy together with the main aspects underlining it, such as: how an event can induce irrational thinking in one’s reasoning, how irrational thinking can affect physical and emotional sensations and what follows, in terms of behaviours, after one has been emotionally influenced by irrational thinking. Appraisals of religious origin are presented and discussed in the main part of this chapter, followed by cognitive behavioural explanations which explore how these can be transformed from negative to positive ones. Before completing the main part of the chapter, a new topic is discussed, titled Cognitive Behavioural Psychology of Religion and ways of its contributing to new theoretical and empirical approaches for both psychology and religion. Finally, a summary of the main points of what has been discussed concludes the paper.