Third Generation Therapies

In the words of Hayes (2004a, b), the third generation of behavioral therapies has been defined as follows:

<< Based on an empirical approach and focused on the principles of learning, the third wave of cognitive and behavioral therapies is particularly sensitive to context and functions of psychological phenomena, and not only to form, emphasizing the use of change strategies based on experience and context, as well as other more direct and didactic ones. These treatments tend to seek the construction of broad, flexible and effective repertoires instead of tending to the elimination of clearly defined problems, highlighting issues that are relevant to both the clinician and the client. The third wave reformulates and synthesizes previous generations of cognitive and behavioral therapies and leads them towards questions, issues and domains previously and mainly directed by other traditions, hoping to improve both understanding and results. >>

Keep reading this article from PsicologíaOnline, if you are interested in Third Generation Therapies.

These third-generation behavioral therapies began to emerge in the late 1980s, and appeared fully developed with various clinical manuals in the 1990s. From there they have been developed and applied to multiple types of clinical problems, and their efficacy has been proven in clinical cases and in group studies. (Valero, 2010).

They arise, on the one hand, (1) from the difficulties of more traditional behavior modification therapies to be able to modify behaviors in life daily of the person, without direct control of contingencies, and to be able to act on the problems from an hour of clinical session with individuals Adults. And also, (2) before difficulties initially addressing the most cognitive topics, thoughts, obsessions, memories, traumas, etc., with behavior modification techniques, which had been supplied in their explanation by the so-called cognitive-behavioral techniques. Here, thoughts and memories begin to change like any other behavior, based on language, but without mysteries or deep theories about the individual's mind. On the other hand, (3) also faced with the problems of generalization and long-term maintenance in many clinical problems of the type chronic, with long histories of treatment, and with existential or vital problems, until now they only addressed other types of psychologists.

The second rationale for these new psychotherapies it is the experimental investigation of new principles of behavior, which soon begin to be applied to relationships and clinical therapies. In this case, (1) the research on equivalence relations, which give rise to the Theory of the Relational Frame which is the basis of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in its explanation of the relationships between thoughts and responses verbal (2) Also research on behaviors governed by rules, that is, those that are under the control of other verbal stimuli given by other people or by the individual himself, and that can even change the direct contingencies of the behavior they maintain. This is essential for the way of giving directions and instructions with adults. (3) Research in adults on functional analysis in direct contingencies in daily life and in the therapeutic relationship, leading to applications more functional within the session itself, and the emphasis on functional analysis of the individual's clinical problems, rather than categorization diagnostic. (4) The revision of the concepts of verbal behavior and private events, as one more behavior, with the same principles and functions as any other motor behavior; treating the thoughts, memories and emotions of the individual as objective behaviors to modify, and not as cognitive constructs.

With these bases, to which the authors add their own clinical experience, the "Couple Interaction Therapy" of Jacobson (Jacobson, Christensen, Prince, Cordova and Eldrige, 2000), and Linehan's "Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy" (Linehan, 1993). Shortly after Kohlenberg's "Functional Analytical Psychotherapy" (Kohlenberg and Tsai (1987), and "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" (Hayes, Strosahl, and Wilson 1999; Wilson and Luciano, 2002). To these would be added "Behavioral Activation Therapy" (Jacobson, 1989, Martell, Addis and Jacobson, 1991; Lejez et al; 2005). Subsequently, they have derived in other more cognitive-behavioral lines, since ACT even begins in some articles to be called "cognitive acceptance psychotherapy", giving place to the now famous "Mindfulness" (Segal, Williams, and Teasdale, 2002) and also other cognitive-relational psychotherapies, and even constructivists that take concepts such as "acceptance" and "experiential avoidance" .

Having this overview of why these therapies emerge and what are its basic principles, it would be convenient to indicate what they consist of in more detail; although to understand them it would also be convenient to point out the most defining characteristics of each of the therapies in order to differentiate them, although we will focus more in detail in the two third generation therapies that are having the most diffusion: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Functional Analytical Psychotherapy (FAP).

Based on radical behaviorism, these third-generation therapies have the following traits in common:

• They analyze behavior in light of context in which it occurs, since they start from the basis that a decontextualized and isolated analysis of behavior does not allow us to discover its functionality. For example "going to the supermarket to buy food" and "walking from the house to the supermarket" although they are two behaviors that They have the same motor behaviors, they are different in terms of their functionality and the context in which they are present.
• They don't examine behavior historicallybut as a continuum. Therefore, the history of the individual along with his development environment, are considered fundamental aspects in the interpretation of said behavior.
• No distinction is made between observable and private behavior, private events, such as the individual's emotions, feelings, and thoughts, are also analyzed the light of its functionality, as well as the behaviors that constitute the psychological problems for which it is consultation.
• They start from the basis that "psychological problems" have their origin in the socioverbal context in which the consultant operates, which dictates what is "normal" or "abnormal". This socioverbal context also tends to consider thoughts, emotions and other internal events, so it is common for people to tend to try to control your problem behaviors by controlling such internal events (such as when you try to control anxiety so you don't fear something). As previously stated, these internal events are analyzed in the same way as observable behavior, since these therapies are not considered the cause of these psychological problems.
• They focus on the interaction that occurs between the therapist and the user within the consultation itself, extended as a social interaction, and therefore, a socio-verbal context. Through verbal and non-verbal exchange between the two of them, the therapist seeks to change the functionality of the behaviors that constitute the behavior motive problems