1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY: ARE THERE TROUBLES AHEAD?

In its beginnings, behavior therapy was linked to learning research in an inextricable and unique manner. I will refer to this period in the history of behavior therapy as ‘‘first-generation behav-ior therapy.’ ’ First-generation behavior therapy was a scientific paradigm that resulted in impor-tant solutions to a number of clinical problems (Task Force on Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures, 1995). For vari-ous reasons, however, many behavior therapists and researchers lost touch with developments in conditioning research and theory. Over the last three decades, behavior therapists turned their attention to topics such as therapies based on ‘‘clinical experience’ ’ (e.g., Goldfried & Davi