Dr. Aaron T. Beck MD, a psychotherapist, is considered one the most influential people in modern cognitive psychology and is known as the "Father of Cognitive Therapy." Cognitive psychology is the study of people's mental processes between a stimulus and a response. Cognitive psychologists investigate a person is capability to perceive, work out, and solve problems through insight and the use of their memory. Similar to the operations of a computer, a human is able to gain information, process and store it, and then be able to retrieve the information for future use.
             Beck's interest in cognitive psychology can be traced back to when he was eight years old when he encountered a life-threatening staff infection that indefinitely altered his personality. Beck was brought up as a typical middle-class young boy, born the youngest of three sons into a Russian Jewish immigrant family on July 18, 1921 in Providence, Rhode Island. His father was a printer who took pride in his socialist ideals; while his mother was extremely overbearing and known for her shameful mood swings. His two older brothers had died before he was born. Before Beck became ill, he was involved in athletics and the boy scouts. However, after he became a much more introverted person who preferred reading to playing sports and developed a fear of blood, hospitals, and doctors. This fear left him feeling ill just thinking about any of these things and this troubled young Beck. He knew at an early age that this was an unhealthy way to live. He decided to change this about him and gradually broke himself of this phobia through rational thinking. Every time he would come upon a situation that would make him feel uncomfortable, he would keep himself busy and would use rational reasoning why he should not feel threatened. He gradually helped himself overcome his fear through his process of using rational thoughts to overcome his fears instead of ...