Cognitive Approach

Question 1

outline the 4 factors in the Cognitive bias

Answer 1

MINIMISATION-bias towards minimising successes in life-minimising a major life event to pretend it hasnt happened
MAXIMISATION-a bias towards maximising the importance of even trivial failures, eg calling yourself a failure if your unable to complete a small task.
SELECTIVE ABSTRACTION-bias towards focusing on the negative aspects of life, ignoring the bigger picture. eg being down if gets 10 A*’s and 1 B.
ALL OR NOTHING THINKING-seeing life in terms of black and white, no middle ground. eg your either a failure or amazing, no middle.

Question 2

Outline the cognitive triad

Answer 2

NEGATIVE VIEW OF SELF - eg i am incompetant and undeserving-anorexia
NEGATIVE VIEW OF THE WORLD - eg the world is a hostile place, sz
NEGATIVE VIEW OF THE FUTURE-eg problems will never disappear, anxiety

1) internal or external
2) specific or global (one thing or everything)
3) stable or unstable (consistant reaction/it varies)

Question 3

Outline Ellis’s ABC model

Answer 3

A-ctivation: a event in someones life could cause changes in their thoughts

B-eliefs: their understanding may change

C-onsequences: their behaviours/feelings may then be changed.

.death of a family member
.cause negative thoughts (think theyll lose everyone)
.changes their behaviour towards everything (blames self)

Question 4

what does the cognitive approach think that abnormal behaviour is caused by?

Answer 4

faulty thinking ie faulty schemas

Question 5

Evaluation of the cognitive approach

Answer 5

• cannot establish cause and effect, does faulty thinking cause disorders or do disorders cause faulty thinking?
  -blames the patient, traumatic and other approaches such as biological dont
  + successful, fast acting, no side effects

Question 6

Outline Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Answer 6

BECKS COGNITIVE THERAPY
-negative schema lead to pessimistic thoughts about the self, the world and the future
AIMS to challenge the irrational thinking by replacing them with more rational thoughts
PROCEDURE-the therapist helps the client identify specific negative thoughts (client keeps a diary of thoughts)
the therapist will test their reality and challenge ther negative thoughts with positive ones.
Sets the patient goals, sometimes problem solving tasks/relaxation.

Question 7

Evaluation of CBT

Answer 7

+ suitable for treating a wide range of disorders such as anxiety and depression BUT sz can only have it with the help of drugs

• cannot establish cause and effect we cannot say where the negative thoughts come from as we cant directly measure them
• individuals can become dependent on their therapist-they identify the faulty thinking so they think that they cannot do it themselves so relies on the therapist.