Theories Journal

Overall, I really enjoyed this talk by Dr. Ian Hussey on theory building not only due to the theoretical points and its relation to things I have worked on, but also due to the practicality of the talk and the often not talked about influence of business in research. Toward the end of the talk, the moderator made a point that maybe this idea is not applicable to theories that never leave the university. However, I would disagree because escaping grant funding and the need for new and cool insights, just because it is less obvious, does not mean it does not exist. For example, professors and students face promotions or new opportunities that require grant funding (which require novel and hot-topic ideas), presenting at conferences (which incentivize new and exciting ideas and give awards for them), publications (which require an adherence to a theory and the field and its new interests), and the recruitment of undergraduate students (which requires some level of interest). In these ways...

Throughout the Hays (2004) article, the author discusses the history of the different waves of psychological therapy and conceptualizes ACT as a broader theory that encompasses some contextual issues missed in therapies such as pure behaviorism or cognitive behavioral therapy. Toward the end of the paper, I was struck by how many different disorders ACT seems to apply to. In this way, I can understand how many from the traditional CBT camp feel threatened. However, I wonder what the similarities are between something like the Unified Protocol and ACT as they both seem to be cross cutting in a way that is effective. I really like ACT, however I need to keep in mind that it is one of the first theories I really dove into. Therefore, I want to use this class as an opportunity to distinguish familiarity from a more theoretical position that I agree with. In addition, ACT does not seem to follow as much of a logical analysis of each an every thought that a client has. Rather, it relates it ...

      In the  Budd & Hughes (2009) article, the authors discuss the ongoing debate of the Dodo verdict, or the idea that all evidence-based psychotherapies compared in many metanalyses result in similar outcomes for clients. For many researchers and practitioners based in CBT, this idea that different treatments do not provide an an advantage for certain disorders runs against their understandings of treatment and psychopathology. Therefore, many meta-analytic findings conducted by those from CBT researchers conclude that CBT is more effective than other psychotherapies for diagnoses such as depression. I wonder how the CBT theorists would explain issues such as regression to the mean? Would they would say it is possible, but their techniques add something unique that expedites it? In the Budd and Hughes (2009) article, the authors argue that this conclusion may be more due to the loyalties of the researchers than the conclusion of the data. I wonder if this...

 Weekly Journal and Participation You will keep an online journal as you study each week for the course. In the past, students have used Blogspot, Substack, or Notion to create their journals, but you can use any platform that you like. Your blog link will be shared with me. You are encouraged to make the journal your own (e.g., take notes, draw diagrams, add pictures, links, etc.). Document anything and everything that is interesting to you: reflections on what you have learned about key theoretical concepts, what you find compelling about a theory, your own critiques of the theory or its application, how it might influence your own understanding and practice of clinical psychology, questions for the class, information from additional resources, information from the class presentation, etc. More specifically, you should develop an understanding of the following underpinnings of each theory: • Major theorists involved in its development • Basic assumptions and concepts • The core m...