Cognitive approach to explaining deppression Flashcards
According to the cognitive approach what is the main cause of depression?
Faulty and negative thinking
What is musturbatory thinking?
Thinking that certain ideas must be true in order for an individual to be happy – e.g. I must do well or I am worthless
What is Ellis’ ABC model (1962)?
A cognitive approach to understanding depression focusing on the effect of irrational beliefs on emotions
What do A, B and C stand for in Ellis’ model?
A – an activating event
B – a belief triggered by the event (in the case of a depressed person an irrational belief)
C – consequence of the belief (development of depression)
What is Beck’s negative triad (1967)?
A cognitive approach to understanding depression focusing on how negative schemas about the self, world and future lead to depression
How does a person who is depressed acquire negative schemas?
Through their childhood as a result of a variety of factors:
-parental and/or peer rejection
-criticisms by teachers
What are systematic cognitive biases?
Drawing a sweeping conclusion regarding self-worth on the basis of one small piece of negative feedback
What is an example of a systematic cognitive bias?
Performing poorly on a test and making the sweeping conclusion that you are rubbish at everything
What are the two strengths of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?
Blames the client rather than situational factors- The cognitive approach suggest that it is the client who is responsible for their disorder à placing emphasis on the client is a good thing because it gives the client the power to change the way things are.
Counter- This may lead the client or therapist to overlook situational factors à e.g. not considering how life events or family problems may have contributed to the mental disorder.
Practical applications in therapy- The cognitive explanations have both been applied to cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is consistently found to be the best treatment for depression. All cognitive aspects of depression can be identified and challenged in CBT. This means a therapist can challenge the irrational beliefs and encourage the patient to test whether they are true.
What are the two limitations for the cognitive approach to explaining depression?
Alternative explanations: The biological approach to understanding mental disorders suggests that genes and neurotransmitters may cause depression. E.g., research supports the role of low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in depressed people and has also found that a gene related to this is 10 times more common in people with depression. The success of drug therapies for treating depression suggests that neurotransmitters do play an important role. A diathesis-stress approach might be more appropriate- individuals with a genetic vulnerability for depression are more prone to the effects of living in a negative environment, which then leads to negative irrational thinking. The existence of alternative approaches and effective therapies suggest that depression can’t be explained by the cognitive approach alone.
Doesn’t explain all types of depression: The cognitive models do not successfully explain all types of depression. E.g., not all people develop depression as a result of an ‘activating event’- reactive depression. Some people have depression without an obvious cause, and this is considered a different type of depression to ‘reactive depression’, Ellis’ ABC model would struggle to explain these different types of depression and is therefore only a partial explanation for depression.
