depression- c+e

Question 1

What are the behavioral characteristics of depression?

Answer 1

-activity levels
-disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
-aggression and self-harm

Question 2

What are the emotion characteristics of depression?

Answer 2

-lowered mood
-anger
-lowered self esteem

Question 3

What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 3

-poor concentration
-negativity
-absolutist thinking

Question 4

What approach do we use to explain depression?

Answer 4

Cognitive

Question 5

The cognitive approach to explaining depression sees depression as a result of..?

Answer 5

-faulty/ irrational thinking
-the way that you think about the problem, rather than the problem
itself.

Question 6

Who proposed the Negative Triad?

Answer 6

Beck

Question 7

What did Beck create to explain depression?

Answer 7

Negative Triad

Question 8

What are the aspects of the Negative Triad?

Answer 8

Negative view of the self
Negative view of the world
Negative view of the future

Question 9

What were the 3 things proposed by Beck in his ‘Cognitive Theory of Depression’?

Answer 9

-Negative Triad
-Role of Negative Self Schema
-Faulty Information Processing

Question 10

What is a negative self schema?

Answer 10

-A set of beliefs and expectations about the self that are self-blaming and pessimistic

Question 11

Who proposed the idea of a Negative Self Schema in their ‘Cognitive Theory of Depression’?

Answer 11

Beck

Question 12

How was the Negative Self Schema believed to have been acquired?

Answer 12

-believed them to have been acquired during childhood due to traumatic events or negative treatments.

Question 13

When is the Negative Self Schema believed to be activated?

Answer 13

-whenever a new situation is encountered that resembles the original conditions in which the schema was learned.

Question 14

What are the 4 types of Faulty Information Processing?

Answer 14

-Selective thinking
-Over-generalization
-Personalizing
-Black and White Thinking

Question 15

What is Selective thinking? Give an Example?

Answer 15

-the focusing on negative detailed or events whilst ignoring positive ones
-getting two good grades and one bad grade, but only focusing on the bad

Question 16

What is Over-generalization? Give an Example?

Answer 16

the drawing sweeping conclusions based on a single incident
-one kid in a class acts up, so now the whole class is naughty

Question 17

What is Personalizing? Give an Example?

Answer 17

-the taking responsibility and blame for all unpleasant things that happen
-saying sorry for everything even though it wasn’t your fault

Question 18

What is Black and White Thinking? Give an Example?

Answer 18

-seeing everything in terms of success or failure
-getting 2nd place in something but seeing it as a failure/losing because it is not first place

Question 19

Who proposed the ABC Model?

Answer 19

Ellis

Question 20

What did Ellis create to explain depression?

Answer 20

ABC Model

Question 21

What do each letters of the ABC model stand for?

Answer 21

• Activating event
• Beliefs (irrational thoughts)
• Consequences (undesirable emotions and behaviour).

Question 22

What was the aim of Weissman & Beck (1978)’s study?

Answer 22

To investigate the thought processes of depressed people to establish if they make use of negative schemas

Question 23

What was the procedure of Weissman & Beck (1978)’s study?

Answer 23

Thought processes were measured using the Dysfunctional Attitude
Scale (DAS). Participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire by ticking whether they agreed or
disagreed with a set of statements. For example, “people will probably think less of me if I make a mistake”.

Question 24

What were the findings of Weissman & Beck (1978)’s study?

Answer 24

Depressed participants made more negative assessments than non-depressed people.
When given some therapy to challenge and change their negative schemas there was an improvement in their self-ratings.

Question 25

Who investigated the thought processes of depressed people to establish if negative schemas are used?

Answer 25

Weissman & Beck (1978)

Question 26

What is the strength of the cognitive explanations for depression?

Answer 26

-they both have practical applications

Question 27

What are the limitations of the cognitive explanations for depression?

Answer 27

-they both can’t explain all aspects of depression.
-both explanations are ethically dubious.
-both explanations overlook an important alternative.

Question 28

Explain the strength of cognitive explanation for depression that they both have practical applications?

Answer 28

-Beck’s cognitive explanation creates the basis of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
-All cognitive aspects of depression can be challenged in CBT.
-Like Beck’s explanation, Ellis’ explanation has led to successful therapy.
-Irrational negative beliefs are challenged, and this can help to reduce depressive symptoms
-This suggests that the irrational beliefs had some role in the depression.

Question 29

Explain the limitation of the cognitive explanation for depression that they both can’t explain all aspects of depression?

Answer 29

-Beck’s theory accounts for and explains the basic symptoms, such as negativity
-However depression is a complex disorder with a range of symptoms that can’t all be explained, such as anger
and hallucinations.
-Equally, some depression does occur as a result
of an activating event as suggested by Ellis (reactive depression).
-However not all depression arises as a result of an obvious cause (a type of depression known as endogenous depression) and the ABC model is less useful for explaining this.

Question 30

Explain the limitation of the cognitive explanation for depression that both explanations are ethically dubious?

Answer 30

-Both models suggest that behaviour is controlled by the individual -they are the cause of their own behaviour because they control their own thoughts.
-However, a belief in self-sufficiency lays the ‘blame’ for
psychological problems with the individual rather than with the social environment
-This means that the contribution of life events or family problems to depression may be wrongly overlooked.

Question 31

Explain the limitation of the cognitive explanation for depression that both explanations overlook an important alternative?

Answer 31

-The biological approach to understanding mental disorders suggests that genes and neurotransmitters may cause depression (e.g., low serotonin/noradrenaline).
-This is supported by the success of drug therapies for treating depression
-SSRIs/SNRIs increase the levels of specific neurotransmitters serotonin/noradrenaline and reduce the symptoms.
-This shows that the cognitive explanation does not consider all causes- there is a biological factor in depression