One method to look at human development is by studying cognitive development theories. These theories are based on the processes of thought and how these influence our understanding of the world around us. One of the major persons in their development is Jean Piaget. He suggested that children think differently than adults. Paget developed stages of cognitive development that are sequential steps that are taking place in a child's intellectual development. His theory of cognitive development still is most widely used and cited in psychology. Underlying the concept of Cognitive therapy is that our thoughts and feelings have a fundamental role in our behavior. Cognitive therapy is generally short-term and focused on helping understand thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors. A primary aim is to help people learn to identify and change destructing thought patterns that have a negative effect on their behavior. .
"The modern roots of Cognitive therapy can said to have started with Alfred Adler with his notion of basic mistakes and their role on unhealthy emotions (Mosak, 2008). Cognitive therapy is considered a form of psychotherapy (Beck, 2011). The primary purpose as it was originally design to treat depression, but is now used for many mental illness applications (Ward, 2010). The treatment works to solve current problem and change unhelpful thinking and behavior. This technique acknowledges that there may be behaviors that cannot be controlled through rational thought. Cognitive therapy is "problem focused" (undertaken for specific problems) and "action oriented" (therapist tries to assist client in selecting specific strategies to help address those problems (Schacter, 2010). More recently Cognitive therapy has become popular as used on the Internet. Computerized cognitive therapy has been described as a "generic term for delivering therapy via an interactive computer interface delivered by a personal computer" (Depression, 2012).