Cognitive Explanation - Depression Flashcards
Beck (1967) - Faulty Info Processing
Beck (1967) - Negative Triad
1) Beck (1967) suggested that some ppl are more prone to depression because of faulty info processing, i.e. thinking in a flawed way.
2) When depressed people attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore positives, they also tend to blow small problems out of proportion and think in ‘black-and-white’ terms.
Beck (1967) - Negative Self-Schema
1) A schema is a ‘package’ of ideas and info developed through experience.
2) We use schema to interpret the world, so if a person has a negative self-schema they interpret all info about themselves in a negative way.
Beck (1967) - Negative Triad
There are 3 elements to the negative triad:
• Negative view of the world, e.g. ‘the world is a cold hard place’
• Negative view of the future, e.g. ‘there isn’t much chance that the economy will get any better’.
• Negative view of the self, e.g. thinking ‘I am a failure’ and this negatively impacts upon self-esteem.
Ellis (1962) - ABC model (A)
A - Activating Event
1) Ellis suggested that depression arises from irrational thoughts.
—> Depression occurs when we experience negative events, e.g. failing an important test or ending a relationship.
Ellis (1962) - ABC model (B)
B - Beliefs
Negative events trigger irrational beliefs, for example:
1) Ellis called the belief that we must always succeed musterbation.
2) I-can’t-stand-it-itis is the belief that it is a disaster when things do not go smoothly.
3) Utopianism is the belief that the world must always be fair and just.
Ellis (1962) - ABC model (C)
C - Consequences
1) When an activating event triggers irrational beliefs there are emotional and behavioural consequences.
—> E.g, if you believe you must always succeed and then you fail at something, the consequence is depression.
STRENGTH of Beck’s Model
SUPPORTING RESEARCH
1) Clark and Beck (1999)
concluded that cognitive
vulnerabilities (e.g. faulty
info processing,
negative self-schema) are more common in depressed people.
2) A study by Cohen et al. (2019)
tracked 473 adolescents’ development and found that early cognitive vulnerability predicted
later depression.
—> Shows association between cognitive vulnerability and depression.
STRENGTH of Beck’s Model
REAL-WORLD APPLICATION
1) Assessing cognitive vulnerability in young people most at risk of developing depression means they can be monitored.
2) Understanding cognitive
vulnerability is applied
in CBT to alter cognitions
underlying depression,
making a person more resilient to life events.
—> This means that the idea of cognitive vulnerability is useful in clinical practice.
STRENGTH of Ellis’ Model
APPLICATION IN TREATING DEPRESSION
1) Ellis applied the
ABC model to treat
depression (rational
emotive behaviour
therapy, REBT).
2) Evidence that REBT can
both change negative
beliefs and relieve the
symptoms of depression
(David et al. 2018).
—> This means that REBT
has real-world value.
LIMITATION of Ellis’ Model
ONLY EXPLAINS REACTIVE DEPRESSION
1) Reactive depression
describes a form of
depression which is
triggered by negative
activating events.
2) However, in many cases it
is not obvious what triggers
depression, described as
endogenous depression.
Ellis’s model is less useful in explaining this.
—> This means that
Ellis’s model can only explain some cases of depression.
LIMITATION of Ellis’ Model
ETHICAL ISSUES
1) The ABC model of
depression locates
responsibility for
depression with the depressed person. Critics see this as blaming the depressed person.
2) However, the application of the ABC model to REBT appears to make at least some depressed people achieve more resilience and feel better.
—> This means that
REBT gives reason for concern but can be ethically acceptable as long as it is carried out sensitively to avoid victim-blaming.
