Psychopathology

Question 1

Cognitive explanation for Depression

Answer 1

Beck’s Negative Triad-
Negative thoughts about world, themselves and futures

Negative Schemas-
Set beliefs which are self blaming and pessimistic. Such Schemas are believed to be acquired through childhood by a traumatic event. Negative Schemas can lead to negative automatic responses which occur spontaneously and are critical and derogatory. They can also lead to cognitive errors which are logical errors of thinking. All these aspects maintain the negative triad.

Ellis’ ABC-
Activation event, irrational belief and consequence.
He explained the way that the individual interprets the event leads to depression eg someone may say they will do better next time rather than that they are a failure

Question 2

Evaluation of explanation for depression

Answer 2

Strengths:
Avoids stigma of ‘mental health’ by promoting psychological wellbeing and providing a ‘model for living’
Gustafson found maladaptive thinking processes in people with depression
Treatments which have developed from the explanation have been found to be successful
Weakness:
So-called ‘irrational thoughts’ may not be irrational. For example, someone believing they have something wrong with them after a relationship breakdown may be true. People with depression have been found to be better at predicting the future, ALLOY termed these as des pressing realists.