eval cognitive approach to explaining depression

Question 1

Research support

Answer 1

One strength generally of Beck’s cognitive model of depression is the existence of supporting research.
“Cognitive vulnerability’ refers to ways of thinking that may predispose a person to becorning depressed, for example faulty information processing, negative self-schema and the cognitive triad. In a review David Clark and Aaron Beck (1999) concluded that not only were these cognitive vulnerabilities more common in depressed people but they preceded the depression. This was confirmed in a more recent prospective study by Joseph Cohen et al. (2019). They tracked the development of 473 adolescents, regularly measuring cognitive vulnerability. it was found that showing cognitive vulnerability predicted later depression
This shows that there is an association between cognitive vulnerability and depression.

Question 2

Real-world application

Answer 2

A further strength of Beck’s cognitive model of depression is its applications in screening and treatment for depression.
Cohen et al. (see above) concluded that assessing cognitive vulnerability allows psychologists to screen young people identifying those that are at risk of developing depression and monitoring them. Understanding
cognitive vulnerability can also be applied in cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT - see next spread). These therapies work by altering the kind of cognitions that make people vulnerable to depression, making them more resilient to negative life events.
This means that an understanding of cognitive vulnerability is useful in more than one aspect of clinical practice.

Question 3

Real-world application rebt

Answer 3

One strength of Ellis’s ABC model is its real-world application in the psychological treatment of depression.
Ellis’s approach to cognitive therapy is called rational emotive behaviour therapy or REBT for short. The idea of REBT is that by vigorously arguing with a depressed person the therapist can alter the irrational beliefs that are making them unhappy. There is some evidence to support the idea that REBT can both change negative belles and relieve the symptoms of depression (David et al. 2018).
This means that REBT has real-world value.

Question 4

Reactive and endogenous depression

Answer 4

One limitation of Ellis’s ABC model of depression is that it only explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression.
There seems to be no doubt that depression is often triggered by life events - what Elis would call activating at least partly the result of our beliefs. However, many cases of depression are not traceable to life events and it is not obvious what leads the person to become depressed at a particular time. This type of depression is sometimes called endogenous depression. Ellis’s ABC model is less useful for explaining endogenous depression.
This means that Ellis’s model can only explain some cases of depression and is therefore only a partial explanation.