The theory of cognitive behavioral threapy was formulated by Dr. Aaron T. Beck and his colleagues. It represents an outgrowth of the original behavioral therapy movement which stressed the targeting of specific goals, the prescribing of specific procedures and timely feedback for shaping new behaviors.

Dr. Beck's publications include Cognitive Theory of Depression, Cognitive Theory of Anxiety and Cognitive Theory of Personality Disorders. Drs. Jeffrey E. Young and Janet S. Klosko have subsequently promulgated a theory of personality patterns which they term, "lifetraps," in their book, Reinventing Your Life. For example, a young woman whose father abandoned her family, fears commitment and has a pattern of undermining her realtionships with men.