Explanations of Depression Flashcards
What did Beck believe?
Depression is a disorder of thought rather than a disorder of mood
What is the basic assumption of the cognate approach?
That faulty cognitions lead to abnormal behvaiour, they typically take the form of irrational beliefs or negative thoughts
What did Beck propose?
An individual with depression has negative automatic thoughts in response to difficult situations, they are based on a set of self-schemas which are often formulated in childhood
What is Beck’s cognitive triad?
A faulty sequence of beliefs about themselves, the world and their future
What are the 4 cognitive distortions Beck proposed?
- Minimisation
- Magnification
- Seletive abstraction
- Personalisation
What is minimisation?
The tendency to underplay a positive event
What is magnification?
The tendency to exaggerate the significance of an event
What is selective abstraction?
The tendency to focus on small, usually negative, aspects of a situation and ignore the wider picture
What is personalisation?
The attribution of negative feelings of others to yourself
What did Ellis propose?
Abnormality is as simple as ABC, mood disorders and anxiety can be explained by irrational thought processes
What is Ellis’ ABC model?
A) an action occurs
B) the person has his/her own interpretation (beliefs) of the event which can be rational or irrational
C) these beliefs impact on the consequences
What are 3 evaluation points of Beck’s cognitive triad?
- Supporting evidence and has practical application in CBT
- Does not explain all aspects
- Ignores biological evidence
What are 3 evaluation points of Ellis’ ABC model?
- Partial explanation: reductionist, minimise complex thoughts
- Practical application in CBT
- Ignores biological evidence
