Psychopathology - Cognitive Depression Flashcards
Outline the basic Cognitive assumption about depression.
Negative and self defeating thoughts are the cause of depression.
Who made the ABC model and what is each component?
Beck made the model. It reads as follows:
A) Activating Event.
B) Cognitive Reaction
C) State of Depression
What is it that causes the depression and why is this?
It is not the event, but the cognitive reaction, the Bad Thoughts. This is a result of Mustabatory thinking.
What is Mustabatory Thinking?
Where one believes certain conditions MUST be true to be happy.
What is Beck’s Theory of Negative Schemas?
As our schema are our interpretation of the world around. Forming negative schemas about the world would mean we view it negatively.
What can form negative schemas?
They are often laid down in childhood, potentially as a result of rejection by our peers and parents. It can also be a result of being over criticized.
What form do negative schemas take?
1) Overgeneralisation
2) Absolutist thinking
3) Magnification
4) Selective Perception
What is Beck’s notion of the Cognitive Triad?
The idea that there is a pattern in the thinking of depressives. He called this the cognitive triad. It involves negative thoughts about: Self, World and Others.
What are the three dimensions which these attributes are based on?
a) Internal <–> External
b) Stable <–> Unstable
c) Global <–> Specific
a - “It’s my fault” and “It’s the fault of others.”
b - “This will never change” and “This can change.”
c - “This affects my whole life” and “This affects part of my whole life.”
Which of the dimensions do depressives tend towards?
Internal, Stable and Global.
(+) Evaluation 1:
Beck’s investigation of negative schemas used by depressives.
Group of depressives, applied the dysfunctional attitude scale (DAS) to them.
Depressives scored higher, shows they nave negative outlook on situations and events in life.
Shows that depressives more likely to have and use negative schemas.
However could be other way round (schemas form after depression.)
(+) Evaluation 2:
Hammer and Kranz and CBT Success.
Found depressed people made more logical errors (were given a logic puzzle) than those who weren’t depressed.
Because CBT focuses on thought patterns, and it is successful in many cases, supports idea that thinking important in depression.
(-) Evaluation 3:
Ignores other factors.
Because it focuses on thinking, it ignores other aspects like situational factors (like bad life events).
There is also genetic evidence, with high rates of concordance between MZ than DZ pairings.
Alloy and Abrahamson said they may be more logical than others, calling it the “sadder but wiser” effect.
Name the behavioral, emotional and cognitive characteristics of depression.
Behavioral - Changes in activity and energy levels, insomnia and changes in appetite.
Emotional - Worthlessness, hopelessness and low self esteem, loss of interest and anger.
Cognitive - Negative thought patterns (eg - guilt, neg. self worth) negative world view, mostly irrational thinking, and is self fulfilling expectations.
