cognitive approach to explaining depression

Question 1

depression

Answer 1

according to cognitive approach, caused by negative and irrational thoughts

Question 2

neg self-schema

Answer 2

caused by negative experience e.g. being called useless by a parent

Question 3

negative triad

Answer 3

3 elements

negative views of self e.g. i am boring

negative views of world e.g. no one wants my company

negative views of future e.g. ill always be on my own

Question 4

ABC model

Answer 4

Ellis - people develop depression because they have irrational beliefs

depression caused by irrational belief not activating event

activating event, belief, consequence

Question 5

strength 1

Answer 5

supporting research evidence from Hammen and Krantz 1976

found that depressed patients made greater errors in logic when asked to interpret written material compared to non-depressed patients

supports view that irrational thinking leads to development of depression as the cognitive approach predicts

Question 6

strength 2

Answer 6

additional supporting research evidence

because research has shown that ANTs and Negative cognitive biases are apparent in a range of disorders

for example, Beck analysed interviews with depressed people and found that views about the self, world and future are at the centre of their concerns

suggests that changing peoples views of self, world and future can significantly reduce depression

Question 7

strength 3

Answer 7

has far reaching practical applications

because fundemental principles behind the cognitive approach has led to development of successful therapies

e.g. David et al 2018 suggests CBT is most effective treatment for depression

success of CBT supports the cognitive approach; as irrational thinking clearly plays a role in depression

Question 8

limit 1

Answer 8

alternate explanations have been offered

this is because some researchers suggests genetic factors and faulty neurotransmitters lead to depression, rather than irrational thought processes

for example, a gene related to lower levels of serotonin is 10x more common in depressed people and treatments that raise serotonin levels are successful in the treatment of depression

suggests that some poeple may have a biological predisposition to depression rather than faulty cognitions, challenging the cognitive explanation