explanations of depression - cognitive approach

Question 1

What does the cognitive approach propose?

Answer 1

• thinking shapes our behaviour e.g overthinking/irrational thinking leads to mental disorders, particularly depression

Question 2

What is Ellis’ ABC Model?

Answer 2

ABC model:

A - activating event (e.g fired from job)

B- belief (may be rational or irrational) e.g ‘they were overstuffed’ or ‘they’ve always had it in for me!!’

C - consequence (rational beliefs = healthy emotions e.g. acceptance, irrational beliefs=unhealthy emotions e.g depression)

Question 3

What is Masturbatory thinking in regards to Ellis’ ABC Model as an explanation of depression?

Answer 3

• masturbatory thinking: thinking that certain ideas or assumptions must be true to be happy
e.g:
- i must be approved of or accepted by people I find important
- I must do well or very well or I am worthless
- the world must give me happiness or I will die
- others must treat me fairly and give me what I need
• unrealistic + causes disappointment, depression

Question 4

What is a real example of musturbatory thinking?

Answer 4

A: activating event - failing an exam

B: belief - irrational ‘I’m stupid’ BECAUSE due to masturbatory thinking the individual believe they must do well in exams or they’re stupid and worthless

C: consequence - depression and sense of worthlessness

Such ‘musts’ need to challenged to cure

Question 5

What is Beck’s negative schema?

(he believed depressed individuals were depressed because their thinking is biased towards negative interpretations of the world and they lack a perceived sense of control)

Answer 5

• during childhood individuals acquired a negative schema (negative view of the world)
  caused by variety of factors e.g peer rejection
• activated when person enters a situation that resembles the original conditions in which the schemes were learned
• leads to cognitive biases (individuals over generalise and draw sweeping conclusions about self worth based on small piece of negative feedback)

Question 6

What is Beck’s negative triad

Answer 6

• negative schemas/cognitive biases maintain the negative triad
• 3 key elements:
• Negative views of yourself ‘I’m unattractive and boring’
• Negatives views of the world (life experiences), ‘i get why nobody likes me. even my boyfriend left me’
• negatives views of the future ‘forever alone’

Question 7

Evaluate of the cognitive approach

Answer 7

(+) Hammen and Krantz found depressed participants made more errors in logic when asked to interpret written material than non-depressed ppts - support for the role of irrational thinking
(-) too much victim blaming - suggests we are responsible for our own disorders, is ignorant to situational factors e.g life events/family problems which may have contributed
(-) biology may play a part - low levels of serotonin + a gene related to this is more common in depressed people