The cognitive in CBT cognitive behavioral therapy suggests that this psychological treatment stresses changing an individual's thought processes. The cognitive triangle outlines these processes by explaining people's thoughts of an event as a repetitive process of thinking, feeling, and doing.
The cognitive triangle helps explain how dysfunctional thinking leads to unhealthy behaviors through repeated unhelpful thoughts that lead to irrational feelings and, ultimately, lead to negative actions.
These unhealthy patterns and thoughts are when the role of effective CBT treatment comes in. CBT helps individuals understand their maladaptive and automatic thoughts and perceive situations rationally with the cognitive triangle. Moreover, the cognitive triangle helps to slow a patient's thought process through introspective questioning.