Feeling, Thinking, and Acting: A Cognitive Framework for Psychotherapy Integration

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Abstract
This article outlines a perspective on the relationship between emotion, cognition and action which can serve as a conceptual framework for examining the process of change in diverse forms of psychotherapy. While this perspective is articulated within the basic framework of cognitive psychology, it is argued that the computer metaphor of information processing theory has important limitations which must not be overlooked when attempting to develop clinically relevant models of human functioning. In its place we suggest a perspective on human functioning which recognizes that human beings are biological organisms who think, feel, and act in an integrated fashion. This perspective accords a central role to emotions, which are viewed as an internally generated source of information about the preparedness of the human organism to act in specific ways. Illustrations of the clinical relevance of this perspective are provided.

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