Saber qué y saber cómo. Una propuesta explicativa de tres técnicas terapéuticas empíricamente validadas

Abstract

The proven efficacy of certain therapeutical procedures is not always followed by a consistent explanation of their functionality. In this article, we set out to review three of the most used therapeutical strategies today: cognitive restructuring, cognitive defusion and mindfulness, offering an alternative explanation to traditional therapies, starting from their definition as being mostly verbal. The consideration of cognition as a behavior qualitatively different from any other human behavior implies falling into a dualistic way of thinking that offers little to the scientific development of psychology. Our proposal adopts a monist approach, based on respondent and operant learning processes, within a behavioral analysis tradition. It is considered that the cited techniques operate over private behavior but do not differ ontologically from public behavior and, therefore, are subject to contingencies in the therapeutical process similarly to any other behavior.