jones - psychopathology Flashcards
What are the definitions of abnormality?
1) statistical infrequency
2) deviation from social norms
3) failure to function adequately
4) deviation from ideal mental health
What is abnormality according to statistical infrequency?
a less common characteristic or unusual behaviour occurring occasionally
-> the more we see something, the more likely we are to see it as normal
What is an example for statistical infrequency?
IQ and intellectual disability disorder: the average IQ of 68% of people is 85 -112
-> two percent of people have a lower score than 70 who are seen as unusual or abnormal and called mental retardation
What is a strength of statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality?
real life application
-> useful part of clinical assessment (eg. intellectual disorder)
What is a limitation of statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality?
- labels can be harmful
-> where someone is living happy, labelling wouldn’t help them regardless of how unusual they are
-> might have negative effect on how they view themselves - unusual characteristics can be positive
-> high IQ scores can be seen as abnormal
-> statistical infrequency van never be used alone to make a diagnosis
What is abnormality according to deviation from social norms?
when a person behaves in a way that is different from how we expect people to behave or when it offends one’s sense
What is an example for deviation from social norms?
Anti social personality: people are seen as impulsive, aggressive and irresponsible
-> symptom: absence of prosocial standards associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behaviour
-> social judgement: psychopaths are abnormal as they do not conform to moral standards
What is DSM-5?
manual used by psychiatrists to diagnose mental disorders
What is a strength of deviation from social norms as a definition of abnormality?
real life application
-> useful in clinical practice
-> key characteristic of APD is failure to conform to culturally normal behaviour (eg. aggression or recklessness are deviation of social norms)
What is a limitation of deviation from social norms as a definition of abnormality?
- ethnocentric
-> the definition doesnt consider other cultures (what is seen normal in one culture might not be in another) - cause abuse to human rights
-> was used in the past to control ethnic minorities and women
What is abnormality according to failure to function adequately?
circumstances where a person can no longer face the demands of everyday life
-> unable to face everyday basic standards of nutrition and hygiene / cannot hold down a job / cannot maintain relationships
Who are two key psychologists in the definition of failure to function adequately?
Rosehan and Seligman
What did Rosehan and Seligman state?
signs that illustrate failure to function adequately:
- no longer conforming to standard interpersonal rules (eg. no eye contact)
- severe personal distress
- behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
What is an example for failure to function adequately?
Intellectual disability disorder:
- wouldnt be seen as abnormal from this definition as the person must be functioning abnormally to be seen as abnormal
- an individual must be failing to function adequately before a diagnosis is given and not just based on IQ (statistical deviation)
What is a strength of failure to function adequately as a definition of abnormality?
takes patient’s perspective into account
-> acknowledges the experiences and captures what contributes to the patient seeking help
-> useful in assessing abnormality
What is a limitation of failure to function adequately as a definition of abnormality?
- deviation from social norms
-> maybe the person is just different but not abnormal
-> risk of limiting personal freedom and discriminating against minority groups - subjective judgements
-> someone (usually the psychiatrist) has the right to make the judgement on whether or not the patient is functioning adequately or normally
Who is the key psychologist in stating deviation from ideal mental health as a definition of abnormality?
Marie Jahoda
What did Jahoda state?
criteria for ideal mental health
What are some criterias of ideal mental health?
- no symptoms of distress
- rational and able to perceive ourselves accurately
- self actualisation
- cope with stress
- realistic view of world
- good self esteem and lack of guilt
- independent of other people
- successfully work, love and enjoy leisure time
What is seen as abnormality according to deviation from ideal mental health?
Any deviation from the criteria for ideal mental health would be seen as abnormal
What is a strength of deviation from ideal mental health as a definition of abnormality?
comprehensive definition
-> covers a broad range of mental health issues (likely to cover most of the criteria that someone would seek help for)
What is a weakness of deviation from ideal mental health as a definition of abnormality?
- sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health
-> a large number of people wont fit in all the categories - cultural relativism
-> what is seen as normal in one culture might not be in another (eg. the emphasis of personal actualisation would seem extremely self indulgent in a collectivist society)
What is a phobia?
An irrational fear of an object or situation
What are the three types of phobia?
- specific phobias
- social phobias
- agoraphobia
What is specific phobia?
phobia of an object (eg animal or body part) or a situation (eg flying or injections)
What are some examples of specific phobia?
- arachnophobia (spiders)
- satanophobia (satan)
- apiphobia (bees)
- arithmophobia (numbers)
What is social phobia?
phobia of a social situation
What are some examples of social phobia?
- fear of using public toliets
- fear of public speaking
- angrophobia (fear of anger - avoiding situations of conflict)
What is agoraphobia?
Phobia of being outside or in a public place
What are some examples of agoraphobia?
- enochlophobia (fear of crowds)
- fear of going outside
What are behavioural symptoms?
The way that people act in response of high levels of anxiety and trying to escape
What are the three behavioural symptoms?
- panic
- avoidance
- endurance
What is panic?
- crying, screaming or running away
- children may freeze, be clingy or have a tantrum
What is avoidance?
avoid coming into contact with stimulus
-> can make daily life hard
-> eg one who cant use public toilets will have to limit the time they spend outside the house
What is endurance?
- sufferer remains with phobia experiencing high anxiety
- may be unavoidable in some situations like flying
What are emotional symptoms?
The way we feel towards the phobic object
What are the two emotional symptoms?
- anxiety
- unreasonable emotional responses
What is anxiety?
unpleasant state of high arousal
-> prevents sufferer from relaxing and experiencing positive emotions
What are unreasonable emotional responses?
responses usually go beyond what is reasonable
-> eg. most spiders are mostly small and harmless
What are cognitive symptoms?
They ways in which people think or process information about the phobic stimuli differently from stimuli
What are the three cognitive symptoms?
- selective attention to phobic stimulus
- irrational beliefs
- cognitive distortions
What is selective attention to phobic stimulus?
If a sufferer can see the phobic stimulus, it is hard not to look so it can infer concentration
What are irrational beliefs?
A phobic might hold irrational beliefs towards the phobic stimuli
-> eg social phobias may believe that if they blush in public they appear weak - feel more than pressured to perform in social situations
What are cognitive distortions?
The phobia’s perception of the phobic stimuli may be distorted
eg. someone may see belly buttons as disgusting
What is the behaviourist explanation of phobias?
A phobia is learnt through the process of classical conditioning (association) and then maintained through operant conditioning (reinforcement)
What is the role of classical conditioning according to Pavlov?
phobias are the result of a classically conditioned association between an anxiety provoking UCS and a previously neutral stimulus
What is the role of operant conditioning according to Skinner?
Phobia is maintained through reinforcement (positive and negative) which increases the frequency of behaviour
How does positive reinforcement affect behaviour?
Strengthens behaviour
-> by providing a nice or rewarding consequence for behaviour
-> eg. receiving attention from having a phobia or through successfully avoiding the phobic or object situation resulting in the desirable consequence of having no anxiety
-> behaviour is repeated
How does negative reinforcement affect behaviour?
Strengthens behaviours
-> by removing or stopping unpleasant experiences
-> the stimulus is taken away rather than the behaviour happens
-> principles of negative reinforcement might actually worsen a behaviour
What is an evidence for classical conditioning and phobias?
Little Albert Case
Who stated the Little Albert Case?
Watson and Rayner (1920)
What was the procedure of the Little Albert Case?
At the beginning of the study, Albert was unafraid of the white rat and played freely with the animal
-> while he was playing with the rat, the experimenters frightened him by making a loud noise behind him (Albert would be startled and start to cry)
-> thereafter, he avoided the rat and would cry whenever it was brought close to him (bond was established)
ucs- loud noise from hitting bar
ucr- fear
ns- rat
cs- rat
cr-fear
What is stimulus generalisation?
tendency to make the same response to two similar response
What is the conclusion of the Little Albert Case?
1)Fears could be learned and aquired
-> if pavlovian techniques could be used to introduce fears then it can also be used to remove fears
2) The study shows research support for the theory that phobias are created through assosiation which supports the theory of classical conditioning
What are two evaluations of the Little Albert Case?
- ethical issues -> psychological harm to little albert
- doesnt represent how real phobias are developed -> phobias are developed once after fear is introduced whereas albert was startled quite a lot of of times before establishing the phobia
What explanation did Mowrer state?
Two factor / process model
What is the two factor / process model?
Phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
-> negative reinforcement: avoidance of the phobic stimulus assosiated with anxiety (also reduced)
-> positive reinforcement: avoidance of phobic stimulus / attention and sympathy from others - rewarded with no longer feeling anxiety
What is an example of a phobia being represented through classical conditioning?
A fear of public speaking
-> the person would have the phobic behaviour (avoiding public speaking) reinforced through the reduction in anxiety they feel successfully from avoiding the situation
-> therefore, classical conditioning could explain the phobia and operant conditioning can explain the maintenance
What is a strength of the behaviourist explanation of phobias?
Good explanatory power
-> went beyond Watson and Rayner’s concept of classical conditioning (as it explains how phobias can be maintained overtime)
-> important implications for therapies as it explains why patients need to be exposed to the feared stimulus
What are some limitations of the behaviourist explanation of phobias?
- not all phobias follow trauma
-> some people develop a phobia and are not aware of having a related bad experience
-> therefore it cannot be generalised - doesnt consider evolutionary theory
-> evolutionary factors play an important tole as it is easy to acquire phobias of things that have a source of danger in our evolutionary past (eg. height, snakes etc) - this INNATE PREDISPOSITION is called BIOLOGICAL PREPAREDNESS
-> therefore developing a phobia than assosiation so it is an incomplete explanation for phobias
What are the two behavioural treatments of phobia?
1) systematic desensitisation
2) flooding
What is systematic desensitisation?
A behavioural therapy which gradually reduces anxiety through classical conditioning
-> participants need to learn to relax around the phobic situation
What is counterconditioning?
A new response to the phobic situation is learned so a different response occurs
What is reciprocal inhibitation?
It is impossible to be relaxed and afraid at the same time so one emotion prevents the other
What are the three processes involved in systematic desensitisation?
1) anxiety hierarchy
2) Relaxation
3) Exposure
What is anxiety hierarchy?
Hierarchy of fears put together by the patient and therapist
-> list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provokes anxiety arranged in order from least to most frightening
What is an example of hierarchy of fears?
Arachnophobia
-> low: seeing a picture of a spider
-> high: holding a spider
What is relaxation?
The therapist teaches the patient to relax as deeply as possible
What might relaxation involve?
- breathing exercises
- mental imagery techniques (eg. imagining themselves in relaxing situation - lying on a beach)
- meditation
- drugs (ralium)
What is exposure?
The patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus in a relaxed state across several sections starting from the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy
-> when the patient can stay relaxed in the presence of the lower levels of the phobic stimulus they move up the hierarchy
What is seen as successful systematic desensitisation?
treatment is successful when the patient can stay relaxed in high levels of the hierarchy
What are the two animal studies supporting systematic desensitisation?
1) Snake - Lang and Lazovik (1963)
2) Rabbit - Jones (1924)
What is Lang and Lazovik’s animal study that supports systematic desensitisation?
Participants recieving systematic desensitisation treatment for their snake phobia showed a reduced fear of snakes than those who recieved no treatment
-> still the case at a 6 month follow up
-> systematic desensitisation is and effective therapy in the treatment of phobias and has lasting effects
What is Jones’s animal study that supports systematic desensitisation?
A two year old boy who was frightened of a number of things including rabbits
-> jones put a rabbit in a cage in front of Peter while he was eating his lunch
-> over 17 steps, the rabbit was brought closer to Peter and was set free and eventually set on peter’s lunch tray
-> peter no longer feared rabbits
-> shows how classical conditioning procedures (systematic desensitisation) can be used to treat phobias
What is flooding?
exposing phobic patients to their phobic stimulus without a gradual buildup of anxiety but immediate exposure to a very frightening situations
-> sessions are longer than systematic desensitisation (2-3 hours) but can only take one session to cure
How is flooding conducted?
Without the option of avoidance behaviour, the patient quickly learns that the phobic stimulus isn’t harmful (this process is called extniction in classical conditioning)
-> a learned response is extinguished when the conditioned stimulus is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus so the cs no longer produces the cr (fear)
-> in come cases, patients can achieve relaxation because they are exhausted of their own responses to the phobic stimulus
What are some strengths of systematic desensitisation as a treatment of phobias?
+ acceptable for patients
-> doesnt cause the same severe degree of trauma compared to flooding as it inclues some elements of relaxing procedures
-> shown in low refusal and low attrition rates
+research support by (Gilroy et al)
-> patients with spider phobia who were given the systematic desensitisation were less fearful after 33 months than a group that had just been given relaxation
-> shows that this treatment is more effective than other types of treatment and is effective in the long term
What is a strength of flooding as a treatment of phobias?
+ cost effective
-> compared to cognitive therapies (ougrin 2011) flooding is highly effective and quicker than alternatives
-> patients are free to symptoms as soon as possile which makes the treatment cheaper
What are some weaknesses of flooding as a treatment of phobias?
- traumatic
-> patients will experience a high degree of psychological harm if they have to confront the object of their fear
-> might not be an appropriate techniques for all patients as those with a particularly low fear threshold may drop off it before it can effectively treat their symptoms
(not unethical as patients provide full consent and there is no deception) - less effectivee for some types of phobia
-> complex phobias (eg social phobia) as they hav cognitive aspects - sufferer of social phobia doesnt simply experience an anxiety response but thinks unpleasant throughts about the situation
-> this type of phobia may benefit more from cognitive therapies which tackle the irrational thinking
What is OCD?
Obsessive compulsive disorder
-> condition that is characterised by obsessions and / or compulsions
What are obsessions?
Recurring thoughts and images
What are compulsions?
repetitive behaviours
What do most people with OCD have?
both obessions and compulsions
What are the three main compulsions?
- trichotillomania
- hoarding disorder
3.excoriation disorder
What is trichotillomania?
compulsive hair pulling
What is hoarding disorder?
the compulsive gathering of posessions and the inability to part with anything regardless of it value
What are the two behavioural characteristics of OCD?
- compulsions
- avoidance
What are the two elements to compulsive behaviours?
- compulsions are repetitive
- compulsions reduce anxiety
Why are compulsions repetitive?
Because sufferers feel compelled to repeat a behaviour
-eg. hand washing, counting, praying, tidying in groups, cd collections etc
How do compulsions reduce anxiety?
performed in an attempt to manage the anxiety produced by obsessions
-eg. hand washing - fear of germs, constant checking - fear of door not being locked or gas appliance isnt switched off
What is avoidance?
suffers of OCD tend to keep away from situations that trigger their OCD
- eg. avoiding contact with germs if they have a compulsion to wash their hands
What are the three emotional characteristics of OCD?
- anxiety and distress
- depression
- guilt and disgust
What is anxiety and distress?
Powerful anxiety and unpleasant thoughts that are frightening can overwhelm sufferers
What is depression?
A low mood and a lack of enjoyment in activites often occurs
- compulsions bring temporary relief
What is guilt and disgust?
Irrational guilt over minor moral issues or disgust which can be directed at themselves
What are cognitive characteristics?
the way that people process information
- people with OCD are usually plagued by obsessive thoughts but they adopt cognitive strategies to deal with them
What are the three cognitive characteristics of OCD?
- obsessive thoughts
- cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions
- thoughts into excessive anxiety
What are obsessive thoughts?
- thoughts that recur over and over again
- is the main feature of illness in 90 % of sufferers
- eg. leaving the door unlocked
What are cognitive strategies to deak with obsessions?
people may employ a number of strategies to deal with obsessions
- this will help a person manage anxiety and appear normal
What are thoughts into excessive anxiety?
people with OCD know that their obsessions and compulsions are not rational (if they were not aware they are being abnormal then they would likely be suffering from a psychotic disorder)
-> Catastrophic thoughts still occur - which the person will think of the worstt case scenario that may result in if their anxiety is justified
-> hypervigilant - which they have constant alertness and attention on potential hazards
What are the three genetic explanations of OCD?
- candidate genes
- ocd is polygenic
- different types of ocd
What are candidate genes?
genes that have been implicated in the development of ocd
What are two possible candidate genes?
- 5HT1-D beta
- COMT gene
What is 5HT1-D beta involved in?
regulating serotonin
What does the COMT gene do?
regulates the production of dopamine
What does dopamine affect?
Motivation and drive
What does it mean for OCD to be polygenic?
its development is not determine by a single gene (can be as many as 230 genes)
-> little predictive power
What does it mean that there are different types of OCD?
Aetiologically heterogeneous: there may be different genetic causes for OCD in different people
-> different types of ocd might also be the result of particular genetic variations (eg hoaring disorders)
What are some research evidence for genetic explanations?
evidence from twin and family studies
What are the twin and family studies used to support genetic explanations?
- Lewis
- Nestadt et ak
What is Lewis’s study that used to support genetic explanations?
“family history method” to interview family members of 50 patients with OCD for mental illness and personality traits
-> found pronounced obsessional traits in 37% of parents and 27% of siblings
What us nestadt’s study used to support genetic explanations?
conducted preview of previous twin studies examining ocd
-> 68% of identical twins and 31% of non identical twins experience ocd
What do these studies suggest about OCD?
- patients with ocd had family members who also showed OCD tendencies
-> ocd could be passed down in genes - concordance rates for mz twins are higher than dz twins
-> supports theory that genetics cause ocd as mz twins are genetically more similar
What are the problems with using genetic and twin studies as evidence?
- mz twins are often treated similar so it could just be due to the same environment or influence of friends
- influenced by environment instead of genes
- self reported so participants might have lied
What is a strength for genetic explanations for ocd?
good supporting evidence
-> nestadt et el; 68% mz and 31% dz
What are some limitations of genetic explanations of ocd?
- twin studies are flawed as genetic evidence
-> identical twins might be more similar in environments that were shared as they grew up together - too many candidate genes
-> several genes have been identified to influence ocd with only a fraction
-> genetic explanations alone are highly unlikely to be useful as they have little predictive value - environmental risk factors can also trigger or increase the risk of developing ocd
-> cromeretal; over half of ocd patients in their sample had a traumatic event in the past and ocd was more severe in those who had more than one ocd trauma
-> therefore ocd cannot ve entirely genetic in origin
What are the two neural explanations of OCD?
- levels of key neurotransmitters
- structures of the brain
What is a key neurotransmitter to influence ocd according to neural explanations?
serotonin
How does serotonin influence ocd according to neural explanations?
serotonin regulates mood
-> low levels: depressed and tired
What are the two abnormal structures of the brain that might influence ocd according to neural explanations?
- lateral frontal lobes
- parahippicampal gyrus
What does the lateral frontal lobe affect?
decision making
How does poor functioning in the lateral frontal lobe influence ocd according to neural explanations?
sufferers are more likely to doubt themselves
What does the left parahippocampal gyrus affect?
processing unpleasant emotions
How does abnormal functioning in the left paragippocampal influence ocd according to neural explanations?
more likely to experience emotions like guilt and disgust
What is a strength for neural explanations for ocd?
good supporting evidence
-> parkinsons disease are biological in origin
-> antidepressants work to increase levels of neurotransmitters (eg. serotonin)
What are some weaknesses for neural explanations for ocd?
- not clear exactly what neural mechanisms are involved
-> cavedini et al’s decision making study have shown that these neural systems are the same as those that function abnormally in ocd
-> some research identified other brain systems that may have been involved sometimes but no syten has been found that always played a role in ocd
-> we cannot claim to fully understand the neural mechanisms involved in ocd - the link between serotonin and ocd might simply be co-morbidity with depression
-> those who suffer from ocd usually have depression as well
-> serotonin system may be disturbed as patients with ocd are depressed as well - we shouldn’t assume the neural mechanisms cause ocd
-> there is evidence to suggest that neurotransmitters / abnormal functioning of structures of the brain may also be effects of ocd but not caused ocd
What are treatments for ocd?
- drug therapy
- cbt
What is drug therapy?
increasing or decreasing levels of neurotransmitters to increase or decrease their activity
What are three types of drugs?
- SSRI
- Tricyclics
- SNRI
What are SSRIs?
anti depressant drugs that work on the serotonin system of the brain
How long does a patient need to take SSRI before alternatives are looked into to treat OCD?
3 - 4 months
When SSRI’s dont help, patients can be given tricyclics but why are these only used as an alternative?
Because it is an old type of drug accompanied by severe side effects
What are SNRIs?
Second defence for patients who do not respond to SSRIs which is also an anti depressant drug used to treat OCD by increasing levels of serotonin and noradrenaline
What is an example of SNRI?
clomipramine
What is cbt?
cognitive behavioural therapy
Why are drugs often used alongside cbt to treat ocd?
because drugs reduces a patient’s emotional symptoms (eg. feeling anxious or depressed) so patients can engage more effectively with the CBT
What are some strengths of drugs as treatment of OCD?
+ effective in tackling OCD symptoms
-> soomro reviewed a study comparing SSRIs to placebos and 17 studies showed better results for the SSRIs
-> drugs can be combined with cbt for more effectiveness
+ cost effective and non-disruptive
-> drugs are a lot cheaper than cbt
-> drugs does not disrupt the lives of patients like cbt does
-> patients and doctors prefer cbt
What is a weakness of drugs as a treatment of OCD?
A significant majority of people will have no benefit or even suffer from significant side effects
-> eg. indigestion, blurred vision, weight gain etc
-> people may stop taking the drug
-> reducing effectiveness
What is depression?
A mental health problem which is characteriised by low mood and low energy, a lost of intrest and enjoyment with constant sadness
What is bipolar depression?
Constantly shifting between high mood (mania) and low mood
What is unipolar depression?
Constantly low mood
What are the four forms of unipolar depression?
- major depressive disorder
- persistent depressive disorder
- disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
- premenstruakl dysphoric disorder
What are two key facts of major depressive disorder?
- severe depression
- often short term
What are two key facts of persistent depressive disorder?
- sustained major depression (dysthymia)
- long term or recurring depression
What are two key facts of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder?
- occurs in childhood
- characterised by temper tantrums
What are two key facts of premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
- disruption to mood prior to menstruation
- disruption to mood during menstruation
What age does depression usually start?
20 -40
What is the clinical name of unable to relax and are constantly “on the go”?
psychomotor agitation
What is the professional term for lack of sleep?
insomnia
What is the professional term for too much sleep?
hypersomnia
Optimists view the glas as half full. What is the term used for individuals who see the glass as half empty?
pessimists
What are the three parts to Beck’s explanation of depression?
- faulty information processing
- negative schema
- negative triad
What are the three aspects of faulty information processing?
- attending to the negative aspect of a situation and ignoring the positives
- blowing small problems ot of proportion
- thinking in black and white terms
What is an example of faulty information processing?
If one won a million pounds on the lottery
- depressed person: focus on that fact that the previous week someone won ten million pounds
- “normal” person: focus on the positice of all they could do with a million pounds
What is a schema?
package of ideas or information developed through experience
-> mental framework for the interpretation of sensory information
What is a self schema?
package of information people have about themselves
What is negative self schema?
Only has negative perceptions towards self
When are negative schemas aquired?
childhood and adolescence
What are some circumstances that negative schemas can be acquired from?
- left out / bullied
- critisism from parents
- critisism from teachers
- death of loved ones
- physical abuse
- emotional abuse
What are some examples of negative schemas?
- no one likes me
- i hate myself
- things are so unfair
- life sucks
etc
What is the negative triad?
Three forms of thinking that are typical of people who are depressed
What are the three parts of the negative triad?
- negative view of self
- negative view of world
- negative view of future
What is the negative view of the self?
the tendency to view the self as incomlete, overestimating how difficult a normal life task can be, expecting to fail and wanting to be someone else?
What are some examples of negative views of the self?
- I am worthless
- Its all my fault
- I wasnt good enough anyways
What is the negative view of the world?
The world seems devoid of pleasure or gratification
What are some examples of the negative view of the world?
- my life is terrible
- no one likes me
What is the negative view of the future?
A pessimistic and non-existent view of the future
What are some examples of negative view of the future?
- I will never be good at anything
- I will never be able to achieve this
What are some strengths of Beck’s theory?
+ good supporting evidence supporting the idea that depression is assosiated with faulty information processing, negative schemas and negative triad
-> Grazioli and Terry: assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth - women with high cognitive vulnerability are more likely to suffer from post natal depression
-> these cognitions can be seen before the cognition develops -> suggests that Beck was right that cognition causes depression
+ practical applications in CBT
-> all cognitive aspects of depression can be identified and challenged by cbt eg. components of negative triad are easily identifiable - therapist can then challenge them and encourage patients to test whether they are true or not
-> this is a strength of the explanation as it translates well into therapy
What is a limitation of beck’s theory?
- doesnt explain all aspects of depression
-> beck’s theory explains the basic symptoms of depression, however depression is complex
-> some depressed patients re deeply angry and beck cannot explain this extreme solution. some even suffer from hallucinations and delusions. some also suffer from cotard syndrome (delusion that they are zombies - jarett 2013)
-> becks theory cannot explain these cases - weakens the theory
What does Ellis suggest that good mental health is a result of?
Rational thinking
What is rational thinking?
thinking in ways that are based on fact rather than emotion and allow people to be happy and free of pain
What is irrational thinking / thoughts?
patterns of thinking that are illogical, distort reality, and prevent one from reaching goals
-> lead to unhealthy emotions and self defeating behaviours
What does the ABC model according to Ellis claim that causes the symptoms of depression?
irrational beliefs
-> triggers the response
NOT THEEVENT ITSELF
What is A,B and C in the ABC model of anxiety?
A- activating event triggers
B- beliefs which are irrational
C- consequences
What is an activating event?
situations which irrational thoughts are triggered by external events
-> depression: experience negative events that trigger irrational beliefs
What are some examples of activating events?
failing an important test or ending a relationship
What are some examples of irrational beliefs?
- musterbation
- i cant stand it itis
- utopianism
- catastrophising
- overgeneralisation
What is musterbation?
the belief that we must always succeed or achieve perfection
What is i cant stand it itis?
the belief that if something does not go smoothly it is a major disaster and you cant cope
What is utopianism?
the belief that life is always meant to be fair
What is catastrophising?
assuming the worst which could happen within a situation
What us overgeneralism?
assuming that the same thing will happen again in a different situation
What are consequences?
emotional and behavioural consequences occur due to irrational beliefs
-> causes the symptoms of depression
What is a strength of Ellis’s ABC model?
+ practical applications in CBT
-> like beck, the therapy based on ellis theory and the idea that to reduce depression you need to challenge irrational beliefs is very successful
-> this means that the theory which irrational beliefs having a role in depression is supported
What are some weaknesses of Ellis’s ABC model?
- is a partial explanation for depression
-> assumes that depression follows on from activating events (reactive depression)
-> this means that ellis’s explanation only applies to some types of depression - lacks explanatory power - doesn’t explain all aspects of depression
-> doesnt explain why some people experience anger / suffer from hallucinations and delusions
-> weakens the theory
