Mental health theories give caregivers a framework for assessing clients and giving treatment. The theories help the physicians to have an idea of the mental health condition that a patient might be suffering from. They help the nurses understand how to handle the different aspects of the diseases that patients suffer. Once a diagnosis has been made, counselors and therapists use the theories as a tool to guide their customers.
The first theory is behaviorism theory. In behaviorism, the actions of people are said to originate from their experiences. The behavior of people comes as a learning process. Therefore, behaviorism theory advocates for treatment of clients to be based on learning (Blakeway, 2016). The patient is studied according to the interactions that they have had with the environment. The mental conditions of the customers are seen as a result of their experiences. Counselling is offered on the grounds of the patient’s history. Stimuli and rewards are a common form used in behaviorism theory. Behavioral therapy looks into behaviors that led to the patient’s problems. After the assessment is made, the theory proposes a means of replacing the characteristics with better ones. B.F Skinner was the founder of the theory. Skinner’s operant conditioning plays a central role in the process of understanding behaviorism.
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Cognitive theory proposes that cognitive processes play an integral part in thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. The theory was put forward by Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck. According to Stickley & wright (2013), the theory states that assumptions and attitudes that their customers have influenced their thoughts and perceptions. When the thoughts are influenced, the decisions that people have been impacted in one way or another. Abnormal functioning could be attributed to assumptions, inaccurate thoughts, and illogical thoughts. As a result, cognitive theory assesses the problems of their clients based on their thoughts and perceptions. Cognitive theory helps clients do away with their old way of thinking and develop to grasp more functional ways of thinking. When the thoughts of patients are changed, they alter how they act and feel. The work of the therapists is to help their clients identify negative thoughts and errors in logic. Dysfunctional thoughts are then corrected to think better,
The two theories are similar because both assess the behavior of the clients. How the clients came to learn of their dysfunctionalities is what forms the core of the treatment process. The counselling is offered so that behavior is changed. Cognitive and behaviorism try to undo whatever that had been done wrong. They both try to correct a mistake in their clients by looking for solutions that concern the well-being of the patients. The theories propose ways that the overall behavior of people can be altered to correct a problem.
The major difference comes in because behaviorism identifies the behaviors of a person while cognitive looks at thoughts. Behavioral theory uses phenomena that can be observed by the naked eye. However, cognitive theory uses ideas that are planted in their client’s heads. The two theories conceptualize the problems that occur in different ways. In one the emphasis is on change of behavior as the solution while in another stresses on ideology change.
The behavioral theory could be used in nursing practice to access patients who have moved a lot in their lives. For instance, patients who have experienced different cultures are to be looked at in a behavioral manner. On the other hand, the cognitive theory could be used to look at patients who have a disturbed world view. Some people developmental issues because of involvement in matters that do not concern them.
Reference
Blakeway, M. (2016). The Logic of Madness: A New Theory of Mental Illness . Oxford, England: Meyer LeBoeuf Limited.
Stickley, T., & Wright, N. (2013). Theories for Mental Health Nursing: A Guide for Practice . Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE.
