Cognitive Approach To Explaining Depression Flashcards
How does the cognitive approach explain depression
Emphasises the role of IMPs and how these influence our behaviour, underline assumption is that the disorder is as a result of irrational thinking meaning depression can be managed by challenging this faulty thinking
Outline Ellis’ ABC model of depression
A- activating event( causes a reaction eg losing your job)
B- belief (thoughts about why that situation occurred which can be rational or irrational)
C- consequences (cognitions, emotions and behaviours caused by the belief), irrational can lead to depression
So consequence not caused by activating event but by belief about activating event
What is reactive depression
The idea that it is the individual’s reaction to the activating event which leads to depression
Use ABC model to show how losing your job could result in depression or not
Activating event is losing your job
Irrational belief would be that they lost their job due to not being good enough at it so they are a failure. Rational belief would be that the company had budget cuts and couldn’t afford to pay them
Consequence of irrational is that they do not apply for another job and start isolating themself, resulting in depression and feelings of worthlessness. Consequence of rational would be do apply for another job as you believe you are capable of doing it.
Expand on strength that the approach has research support
-research support by Grazioli and Terry
-65 pregnant women were tested for cognitive vulnerability, those that were highly cognitively vulnerable were more likely to suffer post-natal depression
-gives the approach credibility as suggests faulty thinking is a cause of depression
H: does not show cause and effect relationship
Expand on strength that the approach has real world impact
-the approach has led to the production of treatment
-CBT has been developed on the basis of the cognitive models which helps patients challenge their irrational beliefs, found as leading treatment for depression
-success of the treatment supports the explanation because it suggests the faulty thinking that CBT challenges is the cause of the patients’ depression
Expand on limitation that the approach fails to consider the role of biology
-there is evidence to show that serotonin levels are low in depressed people
-the cognitive approach cannot fully explain this relationship and therefore cannot establish cause and effect
-diathesis-stress model may be more appropriate (that certain genes make people more likely to suffer a mental disorder however some environmental stress is needed to trigger the condition)
What does Beck’s Negative Triad focus on
Focuses on the role of faulty information processing
What are self-schemas and how are they linked to depression
Long lasting clusters of information we generate about our own identity. People with depression have developed negative self-schemas through their childhood which lead them to interpret all information about their identity in an undesirable way.
What are biases in information processing
Cognitive processes that provide a negative framework for viewing all events pessimistically
Six biases in information processing and brief description of each
-selective perception(drawing conclusions on the basis of just one of many elements of a situation)
-minimisation(downplaying the importance of a positive thought or emotion)
-personalisation (attributing personal responsibility for events which aren’t under a person’s control)
-absolutist thinking(all or nothing thinking, either absolutely awful or amazing)
-magnification(blowing things out of proportion)
-overgeneralisation (making sweeping conclusions based on a single event)
What is the negative triad
When a person has negative views about self, future and world
