Psychopathology - cognitive explanations of depression

Question 1

what are the key assumptions of the cognitive perspective regarding depression

Answer 1

• Individuals who suffer from depression have distorted and irrational thinking – which may cause maladaptive (problematic) behaviour, emotions and cognitions.
• It is the way you think about the problem rather than the problem itself which causes the mental disorder

Question 2

what are the results of irrational self defeating beliefs

Answer 2

• It distorts cognitions of reality.
• It blocks you from achieving your goals and purposes.
• It creates extreme emotions which persist, and which distress and immobilise
• It leads to behaviours that harm yourself, others, and your life in general

Question 3

give an example of the results of irrational self defeating beliefs

Answer 3

Negative emotions → don’t leave the house → lack of interaction → fewer chances of positive feedback

Question 4

who suggested a cognitive explanation of why some people are more vunerable to depression than others.

Answer 4

Beck

Question 5

what did beck suggest

Answer 5

Beck suggested that there is a cognitive explanation as to why some people are more vulnerable to depression than others.

He suggested three parts to this cognitive vulnerability:
faulty information processing
negative self-schemas
the negative triad

Question 6

what is meant by faulty information processing

w/ example

Answer 6

Beck believed that people who are depressed make fundamental errors in logic
Beck proposed that depressed people tend to selectively attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive aspects

e.g. If someone says good morning every morning but misses one you question everything.
eg. if you get 16/17 on a test you focus on the 1

Question 7

what is meant by negative self-schema

Answer 7

People who have become depressed interpret all the information about themselves in a negative way.

Question 8

define self-schema

Answer 8

A self-schema is a package of ideas that we have about ourselves.

Question 9

what is meant by the negative triad

Answer 9

People with depression become trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts
They have a tendency to view themselves, the world and the future in pessimistic ways – the triad of impairments

Question 10

Describe Beck’s model of depression 1979
‘The cognitive triad’

Answer 10

It is built off of negative automatic thoughts
There are three points to the triangle
1. Negative view if the self
2. negative view of the world
3. negative view of the future
Depression is at the centre of this and each point leads to the next in a cycle

Question 11

describe the cycle of negative thoughts

Answer 11

Beck built on the idea of maladaptive responses, and suggested that people with depression become trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts

Attributions are internal or external
Attributions can be specific or global
Attributions can be stable or unstable

In depression attributions for negative events are internal, global and stable.
Attributions for positive events are external, specific and unstable.

Question 12

define attribution

Answer 12

attribution is the process of inferring the causes of events or behaviors

Question 13

explain what is meant by internal and external attributions

Answer 13

internal or external - the cause is seen as internal ‘it’s my fault’, or due to external circumstances beyond their control

Question 14

explain what is meant by specific and global attributions

Answer 14

specific or global - The cause may be specific to a particular event or apply to all events

Question 15

explain what is meant by stable and unstable attributions

Answer 15

stable or unstable - the individual consistently makes the same types of attribution, or they can vary over time and situation

Question 16

who are the two psychologists who give cognitive explanations for depression

Answer 16

• Beck
• Ellis

Question 17

what is Ellis’ cognitive explanation for depression

Answer 17

the ABC model of feelings and behaviours

Question 18

explain what the ABC’s of feelings and behaviours is

Answer 18

A = the activating event
B = the irrational belief
C = the consequences

Question 19

What is the order of the ABC’s of feelings and behaviours

Answer 19

‘A’ refers to whatever started things off: a circumstance, event or experience - or just thinking about something which has happened.
This triggers off thoughts (‘B’), which in turn create…
…a reaction - feelings and behaviours - (‘C’).

A cannot lead to C it must pass through B

Question 20

give 3 examples of irrational beliefs

Answer 20

• My past history determines my present behaviour.
• I must be competent, adequate and achieving to be considered worthwhile.
• If something dangerous could happen, I should dwell on it and be constantly concerned by it.

Question 21

Apply Ellis’ ABC model to Elliot
“Eliot has a minor car crash which was not his fault. “

Answer 21

A = car crash
B = Eliot is a terrible driver
C = doesn’t drive – no positive feedback

Question 22

Apply Ellis’ ABC model to Lewis
“Lewis fails to save a shot in a penalty shoot out, having saved the previous four. “

Answer 22

A = fails to save a penalty shot
B = I must always achieve perfection
C = gets nervous and fails more often, gets dropped

Question 23

Describe and state a peice of research to support the cognitive explanation for depression

describe 1, state 2

Answer 23

• Grazioli & Terry (2000)
  Assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability before birth.
  Found those judged as HIGH cognitive vulnerability were more prone to postnatal depression.
• Lipsky et al.

Question 24

What are the strengths of cognitive theory for explaining depression

Answer 24

• It has good supporting evidence
• It has practical application in Cognitive behavioural therapy

Question 25

What are the limitations of cognitive theory for explaining depression

Answer 25

• It does not explain all aspects of depression

Question 26

How is having good supporting evidence a strength of cognitive theory for explaining depression

Answer 26

Much research has supported the proposal that depression is associated with faulty information processing, negative self-schemas and the triad of impairments. An example of this is Lipsky et al 1980. Who provides a strength of Ellis’ explanation which is that, like Beck’s explanation, it has led to a successful therapy. The idea that, by challenging irrational negative beliefs, a person can reduce their depression is supported by Lipsky’s research evidence. This in turn supports the basic theory because it suggest that the irrational beliefs had some role in depression.

Question 27

How is having practical application in CBT a strength of cognitive theory for explaining depression

Answer 27

A strength of using the cognitive theory to explain depression is that Beck’s cognitive explanation forms the basis of cognitive-behavioural therapy where all cognitive aspects of depression can be challenged in CBT. This is a strength because the application has been shown to work. This means that the basis of the application in cognitive theory must be to some extent accurate.

Question 28

How is not explaining all aspects of depression a limitation of cognitive theory and an explanation for depression

Answer 28

A limitation is that it does not explain all aspects of depression. This is a limitation because while the theory explains the basic symptoms of depression however particularly the ABC model is better at explaining reactive repression. This means that it is incomplete as an explanation and cannot be relied upon solely.