Non-biological explanation of depression Flashcards
Beck took the cognitive approach to explain…
why some people are more vulnerable to depression than others. In particular, it is a person’s cognitions that create this vulnerability ie. the way they think
what experiences link to a negative self schemas
- criticism
- rejection from parents/teachers
- unrealistic/excessive expectations
- experience of loss
name the three factors of Beck’s negative triad
negative views about the world = negative views about the future = negative views about oneself =
explain how one would ‘view the world as negative’
view the world as hopeless e.g. people, situations and events
explain how one would ‘view the future as negative’
unavoidable negative thoughts with nothing to look forward to (“i will never get a joB!’
explain how one would ‘view oneself as negative’
beliefs of thinking you are worthless, a failure, and unattractive = low self esteem
what can the negative triad lead to? (3)
- inaction
- social withdrawal
- avoidance
if a person has a negative self schema…
then they’ll interpret all the information about themselves in a negative way
what is an irrational belief
a belief that doesn’t have a basis in reality
what did Ellis suggest irrational beliefs can lead to? What was she particularly interested in?
leads to self defeating emotions and behaviours. She was interested in how people overreact to events and how this is influenced by pre-existing irrational beliefs.
explain what ABC stands for
A = activation event
B = beliefs (irrational/rational)
C = consequences (behaviour and emotional)
what is an activation event
trigger which will lead to irrational thoughts
what is the “i think” part of beliefs about an event
mustabatory thinking
what is the utopianism way of thinking about an event
“life must be fair”
give two examples of rational beliefs about an event
- moderate frustration
- acceptance
give two examples of irrational beliefs about an event
- high frustration
- demandingness
give 2 negative functional consequence of irrational beliefs
- sadness
- concern
give 2 negative dysfunctional consequence of irrational beliefs
- depression
- anxiety
explain Beck’s cognitive explanation of depression
irrational thinking is a symptom of depression. If someone believes they are disliked by someone, then they will form negative feelings about themselves, which reinforced their perception that they someone dislikes them.
according to Beck, what do faulty cognitions stem from?
past experiences (childhood) via criticism/rejection by parents or teachers, along with unrealistic expectations and experience of loss
state what Ellis’ ABC model says about the cognitive explanation of depression
irrational thoughts are triggered by an event
its a person’s beliefs that causes the depression not event itself
beliefs are self defeating so person interprets event in most negative way
= depression
state the strengths of cognitive explanation of depression
- supporting study done by Evan 2005 on pregnant depressed women ie. negative thoughts = depression
- Application e.g. CBT help challenge negative thoughts
state the weaknesses of cognitive explanation of depression
- negative beliefs expressed during episodes usually become positive once ep over = no causation just association
- cannot explain all aspects of depression - complex w lots of symptoms
- lacks predicative validity; doesn’t identify risk factors and cannot predict who is likely to become depressed = more of explanation of how depression triggered than how it is caused in first place.
what is meant by mustabation?
the belief that one must be perfect
what is utopianism
the belief that life must be fair
