Cognitive explanation of depression Flashcards
What is the cognitive approach?
Cognitive approach = focuses on how our mental processes affect behaviour
Depression is caused by faulty thinking → faulty processing
Like the brain to a computer ( input - process - output)
What were the three parts of cognitive vulnerability he proposed?
- Faulty information processing
- negative self schemas
- negative triad
Faulty information processing
When depressed people attend to negative aspects → ignore positives
Tend to blow small problems out of control
Think in black and white
What cognitive can faulty processing lead to?
These become Cognitive biases such as :
Overgeneralization →
Magnification → make small things big
Selective perception → focus on negative
Absolutist thinking → B/W thinking
Negative self schema
Negative self- schemas
Schema → a package of ideas and information developed through experience and act as a mental framework for the interpretation of sensory information.
Self schema → the package of information we have about ourselves
We use schemas to interpret the world → so negative self schema - always see self negatively
What are the three concepts in the negative triad?
- Negative view of the world - creates an impression of no hope anywhere
- Negative view of future - thoughts reduce hopefulness and enhance depression
- Negative view of the self - enhance any existing depressive feelings because they confirm existing emotions of low self esteem.
Self - Future - World
What did Ellis suggest about thinking?
He proposed that a good melting health is the result of
rational thinking → thinking in ways that allows people to be happy and free of pain / happy emotions
Believes depression is due to
irrational thoughts → any thoughts that interfere with us being happy and free of pain
What does the ABC model explain?
How irrational throughts affect our behaviour and emotional state
ABC model concepts
Activating events
Beliefs
Consequences
ABC model - Activating event
Focused on situations in which irrational thoughts are triggered by external events.
Abc model - Beliefs
Identified a range of irrational beliefs
‘Mustabatory thinking’ → belief we must always succeed
‘I-can’t-stand-it-itis’ - belief that it is a major disaster whenever anything doesn’t go smoothly
‘Utopianism’ - the belief life is always meant to be fair
ABC model - Consequences
When activating event triggers irrational beliefs there are always emotional and behavioural consequences → ie if you believe you must always succeed and then fail → trigger depression
What is mustabatory thinking?
Mustabatory thinking refers to specific thoughts that certain ideas or assumptions must be true in order for an individual to be happy.
Strengths
Research support
A study found that pregnant ladies who were more cognitively vulnerable were more likely to develop post - natal depression. →
Link between cognition and depression → therefore this supports credibility of cognitive explanation
Has practical application in → cognitive behaviour therapy
Beck’s research forms the basis of CBT
All cognitive aspects of depression can be identified and challenged in CBT
Including components of negative triad - easily identifiable
Therapists are able to challenge them and encourage the patient to test whether they are true.
Is a strength as it translates well into successful therapy.
Ellis
Idea that challenging irrational negative beliefs can reduce depression
Supports the basic theory because it suggests the irrational beliefs have some role in depression
Explanation can improve people’s quality of life
CBT can allow people to return to work + useful in society
Useful for treatments → CBT tries to correct the irrational thinking / triad → helpful because allows people to return to work / → beneficial to society → Positive real world impact
Limitations
Correlation → doesn’t always mean causation → researchers haven’t manipulated an IV lack of control
Partial explanation
Many sufferers of depression experience anger which is not accounted for by the negative triad or ABC model
Beck’s theory cannot explain all symptoms
(Ellis) Some people have depression that is not reactive → no activating event
NHS use drugs to treat depression → not just cognitive factors involved within depression → suggesting a role for biology → despite positive real world application → reductionist / limited
