cognitive approach to explaining depression Flashcards
cognitive approach definition
the term cognitive has come to means mental processes, so this approach is focused on how our mental processes (such as thoughts, perceptions, attention) affect behaviour
negative triad definition
Beck proposed that there are 3 kinds of negative thinking that contribute to becoming depressed: negative view of the world, the future and self. such negative views lead a person to interpret their experiences in a negative way and so make them more vulnerable to depression
ABC model definition
Ellis proposed that depression occurs when an activating event (A) triggers and irrational belief (B) which in turn produces a consequence (C), such as emotional response like depression. the key to this process is the irrational belief
what did Beck do
took a cognitive approach to explaining why some people are more vulnerable to depression than others. in particular it is a person’s cognitions that create this vulnerability
what did Beck suggest
3 parts to cognitive vulnerability
when did Beck suggest the negative triad
1967
what is faulty information processing - Beck’s negative triad
when depressed people attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore positives. for example if won £1 million in lottery might focus on fact someone has won £10 million the week before rather than the positives of £1million.
how do faulty information processing lead to depressed people thinking - Beck’s negative triad
tend towards black and white thinking where something is all good or all bad
what is a schema - Beck’s negative triad
package of ideas and information developed through experience. they act as a mental framework for interpretations of sensory information
what is a self-schema -Beck’s negative triad
package of information people have about themselves
what does a negative self schema mean -Beck’s negative triad
as people use schema to interpret the world, if a person has a negative self-schema they interpret all information about themselves in a negative way
what does Beck’s negative triad suggest about a persons view of themselves
person develops a dysfunctional view of themselves because 3 types of negative thinking that occur automatically, regardless of reality of what is happening at the time
what makes up Beck’s negative triad
-negative view of the world
-negative view of the future
-negative view of the self
what is negative view of the world example - Beck’s negative triad
the world is a cold hard place - creates impression the is no hope anywhere
what is negative view of the future example - Beck’s negative triad
an example would be there isn’t much change that the economy will really get better. such thoughts reduce any hopefulness and enhance depression
what is negative view of the self example - Beck’s negative triad
thinking i am a failure. such thoughts enhance any existing depressive feelings because they confirm the existing emotions of low self-esteem
what are the 2 cognitive explanations of depression
-Beck’s negative triad
-Ellis’s ABC model
when did Ellis suggest Ellis’s ABC model
1962
why did Ellis suggest the ABC model
Another American psychiatrist, Albert Ellis (1962) suggested a different cognitive explanation of depression. He proposed that good mental health is the result of rational thinking, defined as thinking in ways that allow people to be happy and free from pain.
To Ellis, conditions like anxiety and depression (poor mental health) result from irrational thoughts. Ellis defined irrational thoughts, not as illogical or unrealistic thoughts, but as any thoughts that interfere with us being happy and free from pain.
Ellis used the ABC model to explain how irrational thoughts affect our behaviour and emotional state.
to Ellis how did conditions like anxiety and depression arise
from irrational thoughts which Ellis defined as irrational thoughts, not as illogical or unrealistic thoughts, but as any thoughts that interfere with us being happy and free from pain
how did Ellis use the ABC model
explain how irrational thoughts affect our behvaiour and emotional state
what does the ABC stand for in Ellis’s ABC model
A-activating event
B-beliefs
C-consequences
what is the activating event (A) in Ellis’s ABC model
Ellis focused on situations in which irrational thoughts are triggered by external events. according to Ellis we get depressed when er experience negative events and these trigger irrational beliefs. events like failing an important test or ending a relationship may tigger these irrational beliefs
what are the belief (B) in Ellis’s ABC model
Ellis identifies a range if irrational beliefs. he called the belief that we must always succeed or achieve perfection ‘musturbation’. ‘I-can’t-stand-it-itis’ is the belief that it is a major disaster whenever something does not go smoothly. Utopianism is the belief that the life is always meant to be fair
what are consequences (C) in Ellis’s ABC model
when an activating event tiggers irrationals beliefs there are emotional and behavioural consequences. for example, if a person believes that they must always succeed ands then fails at something this can trigger depression
strength of Beck’s negative triad - research support
-generally Beck’s cognitive model of depression is the existence of supporting research
-‘Cognitive vulnerability’ refers to ways if thinking that may predispose a person to becoming depressed, for example faulty information processing, negative self-schema and the cognitive triad, in review Clark and Beck (1999) concluded that not only were these cognitive vulnerabilities more common in depressed people but they preceded the depression. this was confirmed in a more recent prospective study by Cohen et al (2019). they tracked development of 473 adolescents, regularly measuring cognitive vulnerability. –> showing that there is an association between cognitive vulnerability and depression
strength of Beck’s negative triad - real-world application
-further strength if Beck’s cognitive model of depression is its applications in screening and treating depression
-Cohen at al concluded that assessing cognitive vulnerability allows psychologists to screen young people, identifying those most at risk of developing depression in the future and monitoring them. understanding cognitive vulnerability can also be applied in cognitive behaviour therapy. these therapies work by altering the kind of cognitions that make people vulnerable to depression, making them more resilient to negative life events –> means that an understanding of cognitive vulnerability is useful in more than once aspect of clinical practice
evaluation of of Beck’s negative triad - a partial explanation
-there seems to be no doubt that depressed people show particular patterns f cognition, and that these can be seen before the onset of depression. it therefore appears that Beck’s suggestion of cognitive vulnerabilities is at least a partial explanation for depression
-however, there are some aspects to depression that are not particuarly well explained by cognitive explanations. for example, some depressed people feel extreme anger, and some expereince hallucinations and delusions
strength of Ellis’s ABC model - real-world explanation
-Ellis’s ABC model is its real-world application in the psychological treatment of depression
-Ellis’s approach to cognitive therapy is called rational emotive behaviour therapy or REBT. the idea is that vigorously arguing with a depressed person to the therapist can alter the irrational beliefs that are making them unhappy. these is some evidence to support the ideas that REBT can both change negative beliefs and relieve the symptoms of depression (david et al 2018) – means REBT has real-world value
limitation of Ellis’s ABC model - reactive and endogenous depression
-only explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression
-seems to be no doubt that depression is often triggered by life events - what Ellis would call an activating event. such causes are sometimes called reactive depression. how we respond to negative life events also seems to be at least partly the result of our beliefs. however, many cases of depression are not traceable to life events and it is not obvious what leads the person to become depressed at a particular rime, this type of depression is sometimes called endogenous depression. Ellis’s ABC model is less useful for explaining endogenous depression –> means Ellis’s model can only explain some cases of depression and is therefore only a partial explanation
evaluation of Ellis’s ABC model - ethical issues
-the ABC model of depression is controversial because it locates responsibility for depression purely with the depressed person. critics say this is effectively blaming the depressed person, which would be unfair.
-on the other hand, provided it is sued appropriately and sensitively, the application of the ABC model in REBT does not appear to make at least some depressed people achieve more resilience and fell better
