Cognitive approaches Flashcards
what processes does the cognitive approach focus on?
6 processes
- perception
- attention
- memory
- recognition
- reasoning
- judgement
what do these cognitive processes do?
shape our behaviour and the emotions we experience
- which can become distorted/dysfunctional and contribute to maladaptive emotions and behaviour
what do cognitivists do between stimuli and response?
they extend the s -> r and claim that our emotions and behaviours are determined by our thinking pattern
what was Albert Ellis’ theory called?
Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy 1955
what is the A – B – C Theory of human disturbance
activating event (A) -> irrational beliefs (B) -> consequences (C) -> distress
how is adaptive functioning achieved?
adaptive functioning is achieved when behaving rationally and in tune with empirical reality
what causes maladaptive behaviour and psychological disorders?
irrational beliefs
what are irrational beleifs?
+ 3 examples
unrealistic views of the world, and perfectionists values:
- everyone must love/like me all of the time
- I must perform well or else I am inadequate
- I must have the approval of others , or else I’m inadequate and worthless
what is the aim and outcome of Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) – for emotional problems:
aim = restructure belief system and self-evaluative processes
outcome = more positive sense of self-worth and an emotionally satisfying, fulfilling life
what did Aaron Beck develop?
cognitive therapy:
- first for depression, later for anxiety and other disorders
- Beck was influential in the development of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
what was Beck’s views on thinking disorder (i.e. dysfunctional thoughts)
thinking disorder (dysfuncitonal thoughts) were at the core of psychological problems
what is cognitive bias?
the way we interpret events and experiences determines our emotional reactions to them
what is the information-processing model?
Information taken in from the environment is processed by a series of cognitive processes of attention, memory and appraisal
what problems may arise with the information-processing model?
bias
problems may result from biased processing of external events or internal stimuli
- these biases distort the way people make sense of their world, their experiences, leading to cognitive errors
what is attention bias (anxiety)
attentional bias toward threat-related stimuli
-> most prevalent type of bias in anxiety disorders
what is attention bias (depression)
attention to negative emotional material and/or impaired attentional disengagement from negative stimuli
what is memory bias (anxiety)
implicit vs. explicit memory for threat cues
what is memory bias (depression)
tendency to remember negative material
what is appraisal bias (anxiety)
situations interpreted as more threatening
what is a schema?
a cognitive framework consisting of knowledge, beliefs and assumptions about the world
what are the main types of schemas?
6 main types
- Object
- Person
- Social
- Self
- Role
- Event
what are schemata activated by?
experiences and help us to organise and understand the world to produce quick automatic cognitive and emotional responses
how are new experiences incorporated into existing schemas?
assimilation and accomodation
what is assimilation
incorporating new experiences into existing cognitive frameworks
- even if new information has to be reinterpreted or distorted to make it fit
- results in clinging to existing assumptions and rejecting new information that contradicts them
what is accomodation
changning existing schema to incorporate new information that doesn’t fit
- more difficult and threatening
- accommodation - basic goal and cognitive-behavioural therapies
when do scehmas develop?
in early life as children learn about the world and progressively become more fixed and rigid in adulthood
schemas incorporate deeply-held core beliefs about:
self, future and the world
- core beliefs are largely subconscious, but give rise to conscious thoughts
schemas: positive aspect
enable us to focus on relevant/important information among influx of information available to us
schemas: negative aspect
also a source of psychological vulnerability if distorted and inaccurate
what are self-schemas?
self-schemas for part of our identity and incorporate fundamental core beliefs about our attributes as a person
i.e:
- I am trustworthy
- I am an honest person
- I have a good sense of humour
how do negative core beliefs form?
negative (or maladaptive) core beliefs usually form as a result of childhood trauma
i.e.
- loss
- neglect
- abuse
- bullying
cognitive model of psychopathology
what are cognitive distortions/errors?
biased processing of negative self-relevant information such that ambiguous situations are interpreted in problematic ways
examples of cognitive distortions/errors (10)
- labelling
- personalisation
- all or nothing thinking
- over-generalising
- mental filter
- disqualifying the positive
- jumping to conclusions
- magnification & minimisation
- emotional reasoning
- “should” “must”
labelling
assigning labels to ourselves or other people
i.e.
“I’m a loser”
“they are such an idiot”
personalisation
blaming yourself or taking responsibility for something that wasn’t completely your fault. Or blaming other people for something that was your fault
all or nothing thinking (black and white thinking)
- if i’m not perfect i have failed
- either I do it right or not at all
overgeneralising
seeing a pattern based upon a single event, or being overly broad in the conclusions we draw
mental filter
only paying attention to certain types of evidence
- noticing our failures but not seeing our successes
disqualifying the positive
discounting the good things that have happened or that you have done for some reason or another
jumping to conclusions
2 types
mind reading: imagining we know what others are thinking
fortune telling: predicting the future
magnification & minimisation
blowing things out of proportion or inappropriately shrinking something to make it seem less Important
emotional reasoning
assuming that because we feel a certain way what we must think must be true
- I feel embarrassed so I must be an idiot
“should” “must”
using critical words like should/must can make us feel guilty or like we have already failed
what did Aaron Beck develop?
the Cognitive theory of depression
examples of persuasive negative automatic thoughts:
the self: i am worthless
the world: people always ignore me
the future: things will never change
the cognitive (negative) triad
3 points
- self: negative thoughts about the self
- future: negative thoughts about the future
- world: negative thoughts about the world
what do negative core beliefs lead to?
it can lead to changes in mood and behaviour
what is therapy? (Beck)
collaborative work to help clients to change their views of themselves and the way in which they interpret life events
what is the ultimate goal of therapy?
altering core beliefs schemas
key features of cognitive behavioural therapy:
4 features
- collaborative therapist-client relationships
- goal-oriented and problem-focused
- based on evidence and empirical evaluation
- Practical approach oriented to changing behaviour, rather than trying to understand the dynamics of personality
how long does CBT last
between 5 & 20, weekly or fortnightly sessions
what occurs in the first 2-4 sessions of CBT
therapist checks that the client can use and feel comfortable using CBT
what is a collaborative process?
therapist and client will discuss what they want to deal with in the short, medium and long term
what does dysfunctional behaviour result from?
distorted thinking and biased information process
CBT techniques used:
5 techniques
– Psychoeducation
– Behavioural activation and experiments
– Exposure
– Cognitive restructuring
how are clients problems broken down?
they are broken down into separate parts e.g. keeping a diary such as an activity log or a Cognitive therapy thought record example
brief steps of CBT:
3 steps
- Therapist helps identify individual patterns of thoughts, emotions, bodily feelings, and actions
- Hypothesis-testing approach
- Homework almost every session to practice the skills learnt in the session
how does keeping a diary help clients?
it aims to teach the client to be their own therapist-client can continue to practice and develop skills even after the sessions have finished
- process of change continues after therapy termination
why does therapy emphasise relapse prevention?
to make it less likely that the symptoms or problems will return
applications of CBT:
5 mental health conditions
- depression
- panic
- OCD
- PTSD
- compulsive hoarding
- health anxiety
limitations of CBT:
- CBT takes time (6 weeks to 6 months)
depending on the problem and how it is working for the client - Therapist’s role is to support and encourage – demands a great deal of involvement from the client
- Some clients may find it difficult to engage and get motivated
- The availability to effective CBT may be a problem: remote areas: waiting list for treatment
- Symptoms may return; important to keep practising CBT skills - relapse prevention
Third wave CBT
4 points
■ Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
■ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
■ Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
■ Compassion-Focused Therapy
