characteristics + explanations of depression Flashcards
what are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
- changed activity levels
- aggression (towards oneself or others)
- changed sleeping and eating patterns
what are the emotional characteristics of depression?
- lowered self esteem
- constant poor mood
- high levels of anger
what are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
- selective attention to negative events
- poor concentration
- slower thought processes
- absolutist thinking (jumping to irrational conclusions)
who are the two key psychologists when explaining depression cognitively?
- Beck’s cognitive triad
- Ellis’ ABC model
what does Ellis propose about depression?
- everyone holds a unique set of beliefs about ourselves and the world that guide and determine our reactions to various situations
- depression doesn’t occur as a direct result of a negative event, but rather is produced by irrational thoughts
outline Ellis’ ABC model
A: activating agent triggers irrational thought
B: belief system; thoughts, attitudes and beliefs the individual holds about the event
C: consequences; the emotional and behavioural responses that result from the belief
what did Beck propose about the 3 forms of negative thinking?
that there are 3 forms of negative thinking that are typical of individuals with depression
- negative thoughts about; the self, the world and the future
what did Beck say made more people prone to depression?
- faulty information processing
how did Beck link the 3 negative forms of thinking to depression?
- depressed individuals tend to see themselves as helpless, worthless and inadequate
- they interpret events in the world in an unrealistically negative way
- they see the future as hopeless due to their ‘worthlessness’, preventing their situation from improving
- these thoughts are caused by negative schemas and cognitive biases
- negative schemas produce depressive thoughts
S Ellis: practical applications (can be used for Beck too)
ID: a strength of cognitive explanations of depression is that they have practical applications
Q: this means that the cognitive ideas have been used to develop treatments for depression
EX: for example, CBT was developed from Ellis’ ABC model. these therapies that attempt to identify and challenge negative, irrational thoughts have been successful in treating people with depression
AN: therefore, this is a positive as it provides further support for the practical contribution of cognitive explanations
W both: cannot explain all depression
ID: however, cognitive explanations can be criticised as they cannot explain all types of depression
Q: this means that it is only a partial explanation for depression as it can only explain the basic symptoms
EX: for example, it can only treat those which clearly have an activating event i.e. reactive depression. however, many suffer from depression without an apparent cause, and experience more extreme emotions such as anger and hallucinations
AN: therefore, this creates a practical issue as patients may feel frustrated that their concerns/experiences are not reflected in this theory and therefore not addressed in therapy. suggesting that the cognitive explanation is limited at best
S Beck: research support
ID: supporting research evidence
Q: this comes from Grazioli and Terry’s evaluation of 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth
EX: for example, the researchers found a positive correlation between an increased cognitive vulnerability and an increased likelihood of acquiring depression after birth, showing that cognitions can be seen before depression develops
AN: this is a strength as it supports the link between faulty cognition and depression, which is in line with the predictions made by Beck’s cognitive theory, thus increasing the external validity of this theory.
