Cognitive Explanations For Depression (Psychopathology) Flashcards
What are the behavioural characteristics of depressions
activity levels - reduced energy levels - causes sufferers to withdraw from work and social activities
distruption of sleep and eating behaviour -increased or reduced need for sleep and appetite
aggression or self harm - irritable and may become verbally or physically aggression towards themselves
What are the emotional characteristics of depression
**lowered mood* - may find it difficult to stick to a task
negative schemas - may pay attention to negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives - bias towards recalling unhappy events
absolute thinking - black and white thinking
what are the cognitive characteristics of depression
Poor concentration - may find it difficult to stick to a task or find it hard to make
Negative schemas - may pay attention to negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives. May have bias towards recalling unhapppy events rather than happy ones
Absolutist thinking - tend to have black and white thinking and see unfortunate situations as an absolute disaster
How is the cognitive approach linked to depression
Cognative approach focuses son how we think and process information
Suggests depression is caused by faulty + negative thoughts. - if I fail my exam i will never exceed.
What does the ABC model claim
Ellis claims that disorders are caused by negative thinking
What does the A stand for
Activating event - a negative event which triggers an irrational belief
What does the B stand for
Belief - leads to an irrational belief such as mustabatory
What does the C stand for
Consequence - the irrational belief leads to an emotional or behavioural consequence such as a lower self esteem or aggression
What is mustabatory thinking
Causes irrational beliefs - thinking that certain ideas or assumptions must be true in order for an individual to be happy
What are 3 “must” examples
-I must be approved of or accepted by people I find most important
-I must do well or very well, or I am worthless
-The world must give me happiness, or I will die
Why would someone who fails an exam become depressed
Not because of the fact that they failed the exam but because they hold an irrational belief regarding that failure
What does beck say about childhood and negative schemas
Becks believed that depressed people have acquired a negative schema during childhood - a tendency to adopt a negative view of the world
What causes the negative schema
Parental and/or peer rejection and criticisms by teachers
How are negative schemas activated
When the person encounters a new situation that resmebles the orginal conditions in which these themes where
What are the 3 parts of Becks negative triad
negative view of the self - I am incompetent and undeserving
negative view of the world - it is a hostile place
negative view of the future - problems will not disappear, always will be emotional pain
Strengths
Real life application - theory can be applied to therapies like CBT which is found to be the best treatment for depression. Ellis claimed he had a 90% success rate for his version of CBT (REBT) - so supports the idea that irrational beliefs contribute to the development of depression
research approach - Bates et al found that depressed PPs who were given negative automatic thought statements become more and more depressed - this supports the idea that negative thinking can lead to depression
Weaknesses
Alternative explanations - could be other explanations for depression e.g biological approach suggests genes and neurotransmitters cause depression. Research supports the role of low levels of serotonin in depressed people and found a gene related to this is 10x more in common in people with depression
The explanation is biologically reductionist, focused on the role of nature.
