Books / Cognitive & behavioural
The Practice of Behavior Therapy
Joseph Wolpe’s The Practice of Behavior Therapy (1969) presents a clinical approach to behaviour therapy. This entry identifies the first edition.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Joseph Wolpe
Edition: First edition (1969); fourth edition published 1990
Publisher: Pergamon Press
Edition year: 1969
Language and origin: English (United States)
Form and genre: Treatment Manual & Clinical Guide
Level: Introductory
Historical era: 1960–1979 · Humanistic, Cognitive & Systemic Turn
Covers: Behaviour therapy and clinical case formulation; Systematic desensitisation; Subjective ratings of anxiety
APA 7th reference: Wolpe, J. (1969). The practice of behavior therapy. Pergamon Press.
What it is & historical context
The first edition was published by Pergamon Press in 1969. A fourth edition followed in 1990; the later paperback ISBN should not be attributed to the first edition.
Core clinical themes & arguments
Wolpe wrote about behavioural approaches to anxiety. A 2025 review traces the subjective anxiety scale to a 1966 book by Wolpe and Lazarus and discusses how such ratings have been used.
Clinical practice, reception & legacy
The 2025 review raises questions about interpreting SUDS as a precise measure of distress. The historical clinical model and the use of a rating scale do not establish a treatment outcome for every person.
Reader level & educational scope
This introductory entry provides historical orientation. The library records, a 1986 article abstract and a 2025 review were consulted; the full 1969 book was not reviewed.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: Emotional Processing of Fear: Exposure to Corrective Information (Edna B. Foa and Michael J. Kozak, 1986)
Reference: Foa, E. B., & Kozak, M. J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychological Bulletin, 99(1), 20–35.
A 1986 theoretical article on emotional processing of fear. Its abstract was consulted; the full article was not reviewed.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: Wolpe and Arnold Lazarus described a subjective anxiety scale in their 1966 book, before The Practice of Behavior Therapy appeared. (A 2025 review traces the scale to the 1966 book; the original book was not checked.) [Source 3: Mattera, E., & Zaboski, B. (2025). Rethinking the Subjective Units of Distress Scale: Validity and clinical utility of the SUDS. Clinics and Practice, 15(7), 123.]
Claim 2: The 1969 book presents Wolpe’s account of behaviour therapy. (The library catalogue identifies the book; the full first edition was not reviewed.) [Source 1: Wellcome Collection. The practice of behavior therapy: 1969 first-edition catalogue record.]
Sources and inspection notes
Wellcome Collection. The practice of behavior therapy: 1969 first-edition catalogue record.
Supports: Catalogue identifies the 1969 first edition; the full book was not reviewed.
Supports: The abstract of the authors’ 1986 article presents a theoretical account of fear processing; the full article was not reviewed.
Supports: Review traces the scale to Wolpe and Lazarus’s 1966 book and discusses measurement limitations; the original 1966 book was not checked.
National Library of Medicine. The practice of behavior therapy: Fourth edition catalogue record.
Supports: Catalogue identifies ISBN 9780080364544 as the 1990 fourth-edition paperback, not the 1969 first edition.