Which CBT figure is known for self-instructional therapy focusing on inner speech?

• A. Donald Meichenbaum.
• B. Albert Ellis.
• C. Aaron Beck.
• D. Albert Bandura.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is identifying who in CBT developed a approach that uses self-talk to guide behavior. Self-instructional training, or self-instructional therapy, focuses on teaching people to talk themselves through tasks and then internalize those instructions as inner speech to regulate actions and emotions. Donald Meichenbaum is the figure most associated with this method. He introduced Self-Instructional Training as a way to help clients, especially children, manage disruptive or anxious behaviors by coaching them to generate and use cognitive statements like “I can do this,” breaking tasks into steps, and gradually shifting from overt coaching to covert, inner dialogue. This emphasis on changing inner speech to improve coping and performance is a key marker of his contribution to CBT.

In contrast, Albert Ellis developed rational-emotive behavior therapy, which centers on disputing irrational beliefs; Aaron Beck built cognitive therapy around identifying and restructuring distorted thoughts; and Albert Bandura emphasized social learning, modeling, and self-efficacy. None of these centers on self-instructional inner speech in the same way Meichenbaum’s approach does, making him the best fit for this description.