Psychopathology - cognitive explanations of depression Flashcards
what are the key assumptions of the cognitive perspective regarding depression
- 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
what are the results of irrational self defeating beliefs
- 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
give an example of the results of irrational self defeating beliefs
Negative emotions → don’t leave the house → lack of interaction → fewer chances of positive feedback
who suggested a cognitive explanation of why some people are more vunerable to depression than others.
Beck
what did beck suggest
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
what is meant by faulty information processing
w/ example
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
what is meant by negative self-schema
People who have become depressed interpret all the information about themselves in a negative way.
define self-schema
A self-schema is a package of ideas that we have about ourselves.
what is meant by the negative triad
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
Describe Beck’s model of depression 1979
‘The cognitive triad’
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
describe the cycle of negative thoughts
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.
define attribution
attribution is the process of inferring the causes of events or behaviors
explain what is meant by internal and external attributions
internal or external - the cause is seen as internal ‘it’s my fault’, or due to external circumstances beyond their control
explain what is meant by specific and global attributions
specific or global - The cause may be specific to a particular event or apply to all events
explain what is meant by stable and unstable attributions
stable or unstable - the individual consistently makes the same types of attribution, or they can vary over time and situation
who are the two psychologists who give cognitive explanations for depression
- Beck
- Ellis
what is Ellis’ cognitive explanation for depression
the ABC model of feelings and behaviours
explain what the ABC’s of feelings and behaviours is
A = the activating event
B = the irrational belief
C = the consequences
What is the order of the ABC’s of feelings and behaviours
‘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
give 3 examples of irrational beliefs
- 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.
Apply Ellis’ ABC model to Elliot
“Eliot has a minor car crash which was not his fault. “
A = car crash
B = Eliot is a terrible driver
C = doesn’t drive – no positive feedback
Apply Ellis’ ABC model to Lewis
“Lewis fails to save a shot in a penalty shoot out, having saved the previous four. “
A = fails to save a penalty shot
B = I must always achieve perfection
C = gets nervous and fails more often, gets dropped
Describe and state a peice of research to support the cognitive explanation for depression
describe 1, state 2
- 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.
What are the strengths of cognitive theory for explaining depression
- It has good supporting evidence
- It has practical application in Cognitive behavioural therapy
What are the limitations of cognitive theory for explaining depression
- It does not explain all aspects of depression
How is having good supporting evidence a strength of cognitive theory for explaining depression
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.
How is having practical application in CBT a strength of cognitive theory for explaining depression
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.
How is not explaining all aspects of depression a limitation of cognitive theory and an explanation for depression
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.
