PP-Cognitive approach to explaining depression Flashcards
What is the cognitive model?
- The cognitive mode proposes that individuals who are suffering from depression often have distorted and negative thinking.
- People who think in a very negative or irrational way might be more prone to developing the illness of depression.
What is the Cognitive Triad? (1960)
- Beck believes that people become depressed because they have a negative outlook and develop negative schemas which dominate their thinking.
- These negative schemas often develop in childhood whereby parents or adults have been overly critical towards them.
- Examples of negative schemas: Self blame- depressed people feel that they are responsible for all misfortunes.
What are the 3 stages of the Cognitive Triad?
- NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT SELF: The person has negative thoughts about themselves and might feel worthless and helpless. They criticise themselves at every opportunity.
- NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT WORLD: The person has negative thoughts that extend to the wider world around them. The negative and distorted thinking continues on a larger scale, “I am useless at everything I do”.
- NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT FUTURE: The person begins to thinking negatively about their future which might seem bleak and negative. The person thinks negatively and gets depressed about the future e.g “I will always be useless at everything I do, and this will never improve.”
What are the strengths of the Cognitive approach by Beck?
1) The cognitive approach has become very influential within Psychology during the last 30 years, especially as the theory has been based on sound experimental research that is objective and permits testing.
2) There is a great deal of supporting evidence to suggest that depression is caused by negative and irrational thinking, as well as the cognitive triad. Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth. It was found that woman who had a high cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post natal depression. This supports the cognitive approach that negative thinking can cause depression.
What are the weaknesses of the Cognitive approach by Beck?
1) The cause and effect is not clear. Can we say that negative and irrational thoughts cause depression to develop, or could we say that depression develops first and causes the patient to think in a negative and irrational way?
2) The cognitive approach would criticise the behavioural approach when examining causes of depression. The behavioural approach would state that depression is caused by learning and the environment, whereas the cognitive approach would disagree and state that negative thinking causes depression to occur.
3) Beck’s theory can be criticised because it does not explain how some symptoms of depression might develop. Some depressed patients show symptoms of anger, hallucinations and bizarre beliefs. Beck’s theory fails to account for how these symptoms of depression occur.
What is Ellis’s ABC model?
Ellis proposed that depression is caused by irrational beliefs.
What does the A stand for in the ABC model?
Activating events.
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.
What does the B stand for in the ABC model?
Beliefs.
Patients record their thoughts associated with the event, an example is that they think they are useless and stupid for failing the exam.
What does the C stand for in the ABC model?
Consequences.
Patients record the emotional response to their beliefs. Irrational beliefs can lead to negative emotions such as feeling upset.
What is mustaboraty thinking?
- Ellis identified that mustabatory thinking can cause irrational and negative thinking that can be emotionally damaging and can lead to depression.
- Examples include “I must be loved by everyone” and “I must excel in all areas otherwise I am worthless”
- An individual who holds these beliefs is bound to be disappointed or depressed because these thoughts are too idealistic and the expectations are too high.
What are the strengths of Ellis’s ABC model?
1) There is research to support the idea of Ellis’s ABC model as a cause of depression. 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)
2) The ABC model of depression is based on sound scientific evidence that permits objective testing. This allows improvement of the model and a greater understanding for the causes of depression as a whole.
What are the weaknesses of Ellis’s ABC model?
1) It blames the client when looking at causes of depression. 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.
2) The biological approach to understanding depression would criticise the cognitive approach. The biological approach suggests that genes and neurotransmitters may cause depression. In 2005 Zhang found that there is a gene related to depression that makes it ten times more likely for someone to develop the illness. The biological approach would state that biological factors are more likely to cause depression than cognitive factors.
