ABSTRACT
Contemporary Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is often spoken about as if it is a single entity. CBT explicitly attempts to balance attention to the aspects of human functioning, and behavioural science has made a significant contribution to the endeavour. Behaviourism is an approach to understanding behaviour that emphasises the role of interactions between an organism, the environmental context in which it exists, and its previous learning history. Behaviourism primarily sees behaviour as a response to a stimulus within the present environmental context, or as a consequence of previous learning, such as whether that behaviour has previously been reinforced or punished in the presence of the stimulus. Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy are prime examples of contemporary models of CBT with radical behaviourism at their core. Certain fields of clinical psychology, notably work with people with intellectual disabilities, and work with children, have always maintained a strong focus on utilising basic behavioural principles.
