Aaron Beck

American psychiatrist and academic

Born: July 18, 1921 · Died: November 1, 2021

Famous Persons

Aaron Beck — Image via Wikimedia Commons or Wikipedia.

Overview

Written work

He published more than 600 professional journal articles, and authored or co-authored 25 books.

Who was Aaron Beck?

Aaron Temkin Beck (July 18, 1921 – November 1, 2021) was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is regarded as the father of cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). His pioneering methods are widely used in the treatment of clinical depression and various anxiety disorders. In 1994 he and his daughter, psychologist Judith S. Beck, founded the nonprofit Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which provides CBT treatment and training, as well as research. Beck served as President Emeritus of the organization up until his death. Beck was noted for his writings on psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics.

Beck's Hope High School yearbook photograph

Historical significance

Beck also developed self-report measures for depression and anxiety, notably the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which became one of the most widely used instruments for measuring the severity of depression.

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Aaron Beck.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/aaron-beck/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

APA

Aaron Beck. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/aaron-beck/

Chicago

“Aaron Beck.” thisDay. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/aaron-beck/.

Found an error? Let us know.