Cognitive theories Flashcards
key cognitive theorists
George A. Kelly
Ellis
Froggett
what was Kelly’s theory about?
Personal construct theory
Kelly’s theory of constructive alternativism is about the beliefs you have about yourself, the future and goals. Psychopathology is caused by something wrong with your beliefs
what was Kelly’s background?
- Farmer during Great Depression
- Originally a Freudian Therapist, patients accepted his interpretations but also accepted non-Freudian interpretations
- Realised it was not so much the content but the framework
- Abandoned the Freudian approach and started thinking about the subjective view of the client
- He developed methodological concerns and an interest in patient perspectives
explain Kelly’s theory of constructive alternativism?
- Wrote the book: The psychology of Personal Constructs (1955)
- When you exercise free will and make decisions you do so by looking at alternatives and choosing one
- You understand your world in terms of the constructs
- We construct reality idiosyncratically (in our own unique way)
- Personality, according to Kelly, is a system of personal constructs
- Developed a self-contained theory
- Talked about his theory using mathematical rigour
- Attempted to avoid content bias
- Attempted to validly assess constructs
- Said human beings are ‘naïve scientists’
what does fundamental postulate mean?
a person’s processes are psychologically channelised by the ways in which he anticipates events - what you think is likely to happen in future determines thoughts, feelings and deeds - not simply passively shaped by past events
what does construction corollaries mean?
a person anticipates events by construing their replications - expects future to be like past - prior theory yields prediction
what does dichotomy corollary mean?
a person’s construction system is composed of a finite number of dichotomous constructs - bipolar dimensions (this or that); verbal or non-verbal (this or not); core or peripheral (relevant to identity)
what does range corollary mean?
a construct is convenient for the anticipation of a finite range of events only - no construct does everything - some more comprehensive than others - breadth of application
what does organisation corollary mean?
each person characteristically evolves, for his convenience in anticipating events, a construction system embracing ordinal relationships between constructs - subordinate vs superordinate - can contain one another; tight, loose, independent - degree of relationship
what does individuality corollary mean?
persons differ from each other in their construction of events - don’t apply objective outlooks on life - characterise individual outlooks
what does commonality corollary mean?
to the extent that one person employs a construction of experience which is similar to that employed by another, his psychological processes are similar to the other person - to empathise is to share similar constructions - we seek validation from people
what does sociality corollary mean?
to the extent that one person construes the construction processes of another, he may play a role in a social process involving the other person - you must share constructs to socially coordinate
what does fragmentation corollary mean?
a person may successively employ a variety of construction subsystems which are inferentially incompatible with each other - system is imperfect - personality is inconsistent
what does experience corollary mean?
a person’s construction system varies as he successively construes the (non-)replication of events - if anticipations fail, constructs can change - evidence now modifies theory
what does modulation corollary mean?
the variation in a person’s construction system is limited by the permeability of the constructs within whose range of convenience the variants lie - permeable vs impermeable permits new applications; dilation vs constriction
what does choice corollary mean?
a person chooses for himself that alternative in a dichotomised construct through which he anticipates the greater possibility for extension and definition of his system - choose the alternative that best elaborates or consolidates - adventure vs security; partly free, partly determined
implications of Kelly’s personal construct theory: feelings and behaviour
- Kelly said it’s not just a cognitive theory, uses the term: ‘constructs of transition’
- You can understand a lot of clinically relevant material based on the constructs
- Your constructs are always being challenged and could potentially change
- If you’re trying to understand the world in terms of your constructs but fail this is referred to as ‘caught with your constructs down’ - this can cause anxiety
- If you behave at odds with your core constructs (the self) - this will lead to you feeling guilt
- You can match other match your reality, make reality match constructs, make others believe the same thing you do - be aggressive or assertive to try and get other people to be the way you want to be
- This theory can be used to explain emotional things like anxiety and guilt
- This theory can be used to explain behavioural inclinations
implications of Kelly’s personal construct theory: psychopathology
- Any personal construction which is used repeatedly in spite of consistent invalidation
- Explains neurosis, psychosis, addiction etc using this theory
- Constructs are failing which leads to this psychopathology
implications of Kelly’s personal construct theory: therapy
- Role-playing to reconstruct how you see the world
- Imagine new alternatives - reconstruction
- Encourage experimentation - be a better scientist
- Pretend to be another person - fixed-role sketch
implications of Kelly’s personal construct theory: Role construct Repertory Test (Rep Grid)
- Self-discovery tool and helps to figure out your own personality
- Select several ‘elements - people who matter
- Pick 3 at a time - select odd one out, pick similarity vs contrast
- Repeat to generate constructs
- Consolidate based on overlap
rationality versus irrationality
One defined relative to the other
Many competing conceptions - different definitions of farfetched beliefs according to different people
General consensus - well-defined fallacies - logic a complex field of study
Can study what is deemed reasonable or silly in psychology by looking at causes and implications
what does Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy assume?
Neurosis is mainly the result of irrationality - something wrong with your system of beliefs
To cure neurosis you must first cure irrationality
explain Ellis’ ABC model
- Activating experiences - e.g. traumatic event
- Beliefs about these activating experiences - these beliefs are partly learned and partly innate - can be environmentally changed by contact with the therapist
- Consequences of beliefs - these are not the direct result of the activating experience but the beliefs you experience that cause it e.g. depression, anxiety anger
what does not drive neurosis according to cognitivists?
unconscious drives
habit learning
content of constructs
what does drive neurosis according to cognitivists?
It is flawed processing that leads to irrational beliefs that drives neurosis
Irrational beliefs take the form of demands on how others or the world should be
People are free to make choices about how they see or react to things - they have reason and will, their exercise leads to mental health
Practice enlightened self-interest - do not sacrifice yourself for others
Don’t judge or evaluate yourself or others - accept our fallibility
what are the three main types of erroneous thinking according to Ellis?
Ignoring the positive
Exaggerating the negative
Over-generalising
what are the 12 main ‘musts’ or fallacies according to Ellis?
- Other people must love me
- I must always be successful
- ‘Evil’ people must be punished
- If my plans fail, it’s unbearable
- Only external factors sadden me
- One must obsess about concerns
- Better to avoid than to face problems
- I need someone to lean on
- Longstanding problems are unfixable
- I must be in control
- Happiness comes passively
- Emotions are irresistible
what are the main types of erroneous thinking according to Froggett?
- Implausible or illogical inference
- Distort reality
- Interfere with goal attainment
- ‘Must-urbatory’ thinking - awfulising, low frustration tolerance, damnation
what are the aims of REBT?
Accept self and others as fallible
Accept the world as imperfect
how is REBT therapy achieved?
Disputation (actively)
Education
explain Ellis’ take on religion
- Ellis believed that the goal of therapy is to increase authenticity, self-direction, tolerance, acceptance of uncertainty, flexibility, self-acceptance.
- But religion is God-centred (inauthentic and dependent) and dogmatic (intolerant, certain and rule-bound) and critical (deals in sin)
- Additionally religion promotes several of the 12 fallacies
- Although religiosity correlates with well-being - positive correlation between religiousness and happiness
critiques of REBT
- What beliefs are irrational? Debateable
- Irrationality may not always be bad - could be adaptive e.g. irrationally high self-esteem is correlated with positive feelings
- Test case - religion - Ellis is a secular libertarian
