Lesson 9 - Depression: Cognitive Approach To Explaining Depression (Beck’s Cognitive Triad & Ellis’s ABC model) Flashcards
Ao1: cognitive triad by Beck
- people become depressed because they have a negative outlook and develop negative schemas which dominate their thinking
- negative schemas often develop in childhood whereby parents or adults have been overly critical towards them
- negative schemas continue into adulthood and provide a negative framework, whereby life is viewed in a negative way
- could cause depressive thoughts
Examples of negative schemas:
• Self blame – depressed people feel that they are responsible for all misfortunes
• Ineptness – depressed people expect themselves to fail at everything
- could cause depression, and faulty negative thinking can lead to depression and possible suicidal tendencies
Ao1: stages of the cognitive triad
1) negative thoughts about self - may feel worthless & helpless, criticise themselves at every opportunity
2) negative thoughts about the world - negative & distorted thinking continues on a larger scale
3) negative thoughts about the future - future may seem bleak & negative: low self esteem
Ao3: strength of cognitive approach by Beck
(Become very influential within Psych during last 30 years)
- theory has been based on sound experimental research that is objective and permits testing
- seems that distorted and negative thoughts are very common amongst patients who have depression
- these negative thoughts play a key role in the development of the illness
Ao3: strength & weakness of cognitive approach by Beck
(Cognitive approach would criticise Behavioural approach when examining causes of depression however combine them)
- behavioural approach would state that depression is caused by learning and the
- whereas cognitive approach would disagree and state that negative thinking causes depression to occur (-)
- There have been attempts to combine the cognitive and behavioural approaches together to form the “Cognitive Behavioural approach.
- The CB approach would aim to look at both the cognitive (negative and irrational thinking) and behavioural (classical and operant conditioning and social learning) elements in order to look at causes of depression
Ao3: strength of cognitive approach by Beck
(Supporting evidence)
- Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth
- found that women who had a high cognitive vulnerability (to think negatively) were more likely to suffer post natal depression
- supports the cognitive approach that negative thinking can cause depression
Ao3: weakness of cognitive approach by Beck
(Cause & effect not clear)
- Can we say that negative and irrational thoughts cause depression to develop; or could we say that depression develops first (from a different source) and then this causes the patient to think in a negative and irrational way?
- Cause and effect needs to be investigated further so that psychologists can be sure that negative thinking causes depression to occur
Ao3: weakness of cognitive approach by Beck
(criticised: doesn’t explain how some symptoms of depression might develop)
- Some depressed patients show symptoms of anger, hallucinations and bizarre beliefs (e.g. Cotard syndrome is where the patient believes they are a zombie)
- Beck’s theory fails to account for how these symptoms of depression occur
Ao1: Ellis’s ABC model
- proposed depression is caused by irrational beliefs
A = Activating Event: Patients record events leading to negative thinking and this is triggered by an event in the environment around them such as exam failure, or getting fired from work. This activating event has a negative effect on their mood and outlook
B = Beliefs: Patients record their thoughts associated with the event (these can be rational or irrational). Examples might be recording thoughts in a diary or journal so they can keep track of their thinking
C = Consequences: Patients record the emotional response to their beliefs. Irrational beliefs can lead to negative emotions such as feeling upset. The consequences could be debated with many different options
Ao1: mustabatory thinking
- can cause irrational and negative thinking that can be emotionally damaging and can lead to depression
- include ‘I must be loved by everyone’ and ‘I must excel in all areas….otherwise I am worthless’
- individual who holds these beliefs is bound to be disappointed or depressed, because these thoughts are too idealistic and the expectations are too high
Ao3: strength of Ellis’s ABC model
(Research support)
- Bates (1999) found that depressed participants who were given negative thought statements became more and more depressed supporting the view that negative thinking helps to cause depression
- if psychologists know what causes depression (negative thinking), then this can help provide effective treatments for curing depression (cognitive therapy via changing negative thoughts into positive ones)
Ao3: strength of Ellis’s ABC model
(Based on sound scientific evidence)
- permits objective testing
- allows improvement of the model and a greater understanding for the causes of depression as a whole
Ao3: strength of Ellis’s ABC model
(supporting evidence: people who develop depression in adulthood, tended to experience insecure attachments in childhood)
- there seems to be a link with insecure childhood attachments contributing to negative thinking which can cause depression in adulthood
Ao3: weakness of Ellis’s ABC model
(Not clear whether negative thinking actually causes depression)
- could be that depression occurs first (maybe through biology or genetics) and then this causes the person to think in a negative and irrational way
- Cause and effect needs to be established when looking at causes of depression
Ao3: weakness of Ellis’s ABC model
(Blames client when looking at causes of depression)
- gives the client some power to change the situation and improve their symptoms of depression, however it could mean that situational factors that have helped to cause the depression are overlooked e.g. family problems
- instead the psychologist would examine negative and irrational thoughts alone as a cause for depression
Ao3: weakness of Ellis’s ABC model
(Biological approach would criticise the cognitive approach)
- biological approach suggests that genes and neurotransmitters (low levels of serotonin) may cause depression
- Zhang (2005) found that there is a gene related to depression that makes it ten times more likely for someone to develop the illness
- biological approach would state that biological factors are more likely to cause depression than cognitive factors
