How and why thoughts change: Foundations of
cognitive psychotherapy
Ian M. Evans (2015)
Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0199380848
272 pp. Hardback.
- Helps students and practitioners focus on essential principles of change.
- Delves into the common, underlying processes whereby thoughts change-both in terms of content and function.
- Explores basic cognitive research and demonstrates its relevance to clinical problems.
- Written in a readable, engaging style for both experienced clinical practitioners and graduate students learning cognitive therapy.
- Controversially reveals the commonalities in varying CBT approaches.
For more information and to purchase, click here.
Review of: How and why thoughts change: Foundations
of cognitive psychotherapy.
Reviewed by Dr John Fitzgerald, Senior Lecturer in Clinical
Psychology, School of Psychology, Massey University, Wellington.
I was a little surprised
to see that this book
has not previously been
reviewed here, although
I should perhaps disclose
that I know the author
well, as a colleague and
friend. Ian Evans will
also be known to many
members of the New
Zealand Psychological
Society as a consummate
administrator, educator,
researcher, and writer.
He has been professor of
psychology at both the University of Waikato and Massey
University, during which time he distinguished himself
in each of these settings. He is also a past president of our
Society, and was instrumental in many innovations which
are still bearing fruit.
Professor Evans has been a prolific writer both within
psychology and, more recently, outside of the discipline.
The text which is the focus of this review, How and Why
Thoughts Change is a companion book to the earlier, How
and Why People Change (2013). However, since moving to
semi-retirement in Hawaii, he has authored four novels.
I mention the novels because while the material covered
in his various books is very different, the style of writing is
pretty consistent. Professor Evans has a very easy, and almost
conversational style of writing. The present book is not
some dry academic textbook, but is engaging, humorous,
enlightening, and well-paced. The author’s abiding interest
in movies and books is clear with illustrative examples drawn
from a wide range of sources. However, these never undercut
the serious focus on exploring the fundamental nature of
thought and thinking, how these are related to emotions and
actions, and considering what ‘changing internal narratives’
means and how to go about it. While cinematic and literary
examples abound, these are interwoven with the explanation
of fundamental psychological principles and practice, which
make it clear that the author is fully conversant with these.
When outlining the purpose and aims of the text the
author states, by way of a full disclosure, that he does not
believe that cognitive therapies as currently practiced can
or should be separated from behaviour therapy because the
former are not sufficient to facilitate permanent change.
This contention runs throughout the text, with thought and
thinking being systematically paired with action. Where
the two complement each other this is highlighted, but
so are the inconsistencies when intention (an imagined or
proposed action) fails to materialise.
The book is well structured, with the first five chapters
focused primarily on addressing the building blocks on
which the subsequent consideration of cognitive change
will rest. These earlier chapters cover topics such as current
approaches to cognitive change within therapeutic settings,
exploration of thought and thinking, types of thoughts,
and how thoughts and thinking can go awry. After setting
the foundations, Professor Evans starts making links, first
between thoughts and feelings, and then between thoughts
and actions. The core underlying assumption of cognitive
therapy is that thoughts evoke emotions. It is further
assumed that the two categories of thoughts and emotions
are largely mutually exclusive and that the relationship
between them is generally unidirectional. Through careful
unpicking of thoughts and the connotative meaning of
words, we are led to consider that the relationship may
work equally well in the opposite direction. The chapter
addressing how thoughts lead to actions is equally
enlightening, and subtly invites the reader to reflect on the
role of behaviour.
The ground broken in the first seven chapters is used to
good effect in the final chapters, which cover the author’s
views on how thoughts may be changed, and how a therapist
could go about this in practice. When outlining general
principles of cognitive change, we are presented with a
range of theoretical considerations. One that is particularly
appealing is ‘epiphanies’, when there is a striking realisation
that results in discontinuous change. However, the final
chapter itself is somewhat more pragmatic in working
through the processes which underlie cognitive change,
most of which are focused on the therapist’s understanding
of thoughts and how they work, and preparedness to
support changing internal narratives.
There is no epiphany at the end of the book, and no golden
key. However, there is also no sense of being let down
because this is a very rewarding text for the reader, and it
is both affirming and inspiring. The cover notes suggest
that it is a book which will broaden our thinking about
cognitive therapy rather than constrain us. I wholeheartedly
agree, and I would suggest that any practitioner who is
interested in what a client thinks about their situation will
benefit from reading How and why thoughts change. I would
also recommend it to clinical and counselling psychology
students, as a foundational text which should be read before
they dive into ‘hardcore’ cognitive therapy.
How and why thoughts change: Foundations of
cognitive psychotherapy
Ian M. Evans (2015)
Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0199380848
272 pp. Hardback. ($77.85, Book Depository)
reviews