Explaining Depression Flashcards
What did Beck (1967) believed caused depression?
Faulty info processing
Negative thinking about events
Negative Triad
Negative self schemas
What is the negative triad?
Has 3 points of negative typical thinking:
Negative views of self - depressed people view themselves of worthless, inadequate, etc.
Negative views of world
Negative views of future - think future is hopeless as they’re worthless & situation won’t improve
How does a negative self-schema explain depression?
People with depression subject to faulty info processing which leads to negative self-schema Negative & Pessimistic beliefs & expectations of themselves
Beck claimed negative self schemas could be acquired in traumatic event in childhood
How can faulty info processing explain depression?
Arbitrary inference - drawing negative conclusion in absence of supporting data
Magnification & minimisation - they make problem bigger than it is & make solution smaller
Personalisation - negative events interpreted as their fault
Dichotomous thinking - everything seen as black & white (no in between/exacerbating thoughts)
(DAMP)
What is Ellis’s (1962) model for the cognitive explanation of depression?
A-B-C 3 stage model - explains hows irrational thoughts can lead to depression
How does Ellis’s (1962) model explain depression in the cognitive aspect?
Activating event - an event occurs - you pass friend in corridor & they ignore you
Beliefs - your interpretation of event, either rational or irrational - rational belief is your friend is stressed, irrational is friend hates you
Consequences - according to Ellis, rational beliefs lead to healthy outcomes - I’ll talk to friend later to see if he’s ok
Irrational beliefs lead to unhealthy emotional outcomes, like depression - I’ll delete my mate’s number as he doesn’t want to talk to me
Evaluate the cognitive approach to explaining depression
Strength - they’ve been used to develop successful and popular physiological treatments
Eg. - success shown by MARCH et al (2007) who compared CBT with medication & found 81% effectiveness
Explain - translates well into effective therapy & real-life application & suggests theory that depression from faulty info is valid
Strength - has good supporting evidence
E.g. - GRAZIOLI & TERRY (2000) assessed 65 pregnants for cognitive vulnerability before & after birth. They found women judged high in CV more likely to suffer post-natal depression
Explain - these cognitions seen before depression develops, suggesting Beck may be right about cognition causing depression at least in some cases
Limitation - Ellis’s ABC model places blame on the depressed
E.g. - Ellis’s model suggests depressed people’s own thoughts are making them depressed
Explain - placing responsibility on person could either empower them to help themselves or they could take offence to it
Limitation - there’s considerable evidence biological factors play role in depression
E.g. some people genetically vulnerable & neurochemical factor being apparent from anti-depressant meds
Explain - cognitive approach isn’t a complete explanation of depression as it doesn’t take into account biological factors
