The Third Wave of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Meditation

Behaviorism, a major psychotherapy theory from the 1920s to the 1950s, was founded on Pavlov and Watson’s classical conditioning, Skinner’s operant conditioning, and Bandura’s social learning theory. Behaviorism holds that external environmental factors shape behavior, contrasting with psychoanalysis, which emphasizes internal processes. S. C. Hayes identifies three generations of behavioral therapy. The first generation (1950s) focused on overt behavior modification through conditioning. The second generation integrated cognitive therapy, which evolved into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the 1970s. CBT, which combines cognitive restructuring with practical behavioral techniques, has become a widely recognized approach in psychotherapy, applied to various disorders. However, it faces criticism regarding the limitations of its techniques and the sustainability of its effects. Efforts to address these issues in CBT are referred to as the “third wave,” with mindfulness-based interventions being a prominent approach. These approaches emphasize shifting one’s perspective and relationship to the problem within a contextual framework, fostering a holistic and balanced way of relating to experience rather than primarily seeking to identify its causes or directly eliminate symptoms.This chapter aims to provide a concise overview of the core characteristics of third-wave behavioral therapies and their representative intervention approaches.