Beck:cognitive Explanations Of Depression

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

Cognitive triad

Overgeneralisation - basis of one negative event, others will have negative outcomes

Non-logical interference - tendency to Infer without logical cause from other negative events

Dichotomous thinking - selective recall of negative events

This explains depression as a result of faulty negative thinking

Question 2

Aim

Answer 2

understand cognitive distortions in patients with depression

Question 3

Method

Answer 3

Clinical interviews with patients undergoing therapy for depression

Question 4

Design

Answer 4

Independent measures

Comparison with 31 a non-depressed patients

Question 5

Participants

Answer 5

50 depressed patients

16 male 34 females aged 18 to 48

Middle/upper class, average intelligence

Question 6

Procedure

Answer 6

Face-to-face interviews, reports of patients thoughts before session and during

Diarys kept sometimes and brought to sessions

Question 7

Results

Answer 7

Certain themes occurred in depressed patients that didn’t occur in Non-depressed

e.g. low self-esteem, self blame, overwhelming responsibilities, desire to escape, anxiety and paranoia

Often regarded themselves as inferior, stereotypical responses to situations

Distortions were involuntary, plausible and persistent

Question 8

Conclusions

Answer 8

Patients showed cognitive distortions that deviated from logical and realistic thinking.

This only related to depression and not other disorders