Psychopathology - The cognitive approach to explaining depression

Question 1

the cognitive approach assumes that depression is the product of

Answer 1

cognitive distortions (i.e illogical irrational thinking processes , not based on logic or reason). such maladaptive thought processes can lead to emotional and behavioral disorders.

Question 2

what are the two cognitive theories which examine cognitive distortions?

Answer 2

-Becks cognitive triad
- ellis’s ABC model

Question 3

summary of Becks negative triad

Answer 3

Aaron Beck explained that some people may be more vulnerable to depression than others.Beck believes that some people are more prone to depression because of faulty information processing making them more prone to cognitive biases, such as distorting and misinterpreting information in a negative way and ignoring he positives and this can lead to depression.

Question 4

examples of cognitive biases ( becks negative triad) - explain each one

Answer 4

• polarised thinking (black or white)
• overgeneralisation ( general conclusion based on 1 experience )
• catastrophising - over exaggerating
  -selective thinking ( focusing on negatives)
• Masturbatory thinking ( holding unrealistic and unachievable goals - I must…)

Question 5

how are negative schemas developed (Becks)

Answer 5

Beck believed that early childhood and adolescent experiences such as continual parental critism or rejection by others lead to the development of negative schemas.

Question 6

what are schemas (Becks)

Answer 6

schemas are a collection of stored ideas and information which we use to make sense of the world around us. they are created from very early on in life and continued into adulthood

Question 7

how do negative schemas lead to depression (Becks)

Answer 7

negative schemas will continue into adulthood providing a negative framework. This means that a person with negative schemas will interpret all information about themselves and the world in a negative way , leading to depression.

Question 8

negative triad (Becks)

Answer 8

negative schemas and cognitive biases create the negative triad. which consists of pessimistic and irrational views of :
- themselves
-the future
- the world
these three interrelate with each other and the more negative the thoughts the greater the risk of depression.

Question 9

summary of Ellis’s ABC model (1962)

Answer 9

ellis explained how poor mental health such as depression was a result of irrational thinking. he defined these irrational thoughts as illogical or unrealistic thoughts which can cause emotional distress such as depression.

Question 10

Abc Model - what does each letter represent with examples

Answer 10

A - activating events - activates the irrational thought process (e.g colleague passing u without saying hello)
B - beliefs - belief about why the activating event happend (interpretation - etiher rational e.g he did not hear me or irrational he must dislike me )
C - consequences - emotional consequences of the belief , rational belief- i will speak to him to see if he is OK , irrational - unhealthy emotional outcomes such as depression or avoidance behavior ignore the colleague.

Question 11

Musturbatory thoughts (Ellis)

Answer 11

Ellis saw masturbatory thinking as the cause of irrational beliefs. Masturbatory thoughts tend to be unrealistic and unachievable beliefs and goals and as a consequence they give rise to anger , anxiety and frustration which can lead to depression.

Question 12

becks negative triad strengths

Answer 12

• supporting research evidence
• effective treatment

Question 13

becks negative triads weaknesses

Answer 13

• questions whether faulty thinking causes depression or depression causes faulty thinking
  -ignores biological explanations
• over simplified

Question 14

Ellis’s Abc Model strengths

Answer 14

• supporting research evidence
• succesful cognitive therapies

Question 15

Ellis’s ABC Model weaknesses

Answer 15

• irrational thinkinf leads to depression or does depression cause irrational thinking
• ignores biological explanations

Question 16

explain the strength for Becks negative triad - supporting research evidence

Answer 16

e.g Grazioli and terry (2000) assesed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability (e.g faulty thinking/biases) and depression before and after birth using BDI. they found that those women judged to have been high in cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post natal depession. This suggests that Becks faulty thinking can lead to depression.

Question 17

Explain the strength for Becks negative triad - effective treatment

Answer 17

• it has practical real life applications. Becks cognitive explanation has led to the development of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for dealing with depression. The components of the negative triad can be easily identified and challenged in CBT. This is a strength of validity of Becks cognitive explanation because it translates well into a successful therapy demonstrating that irrational thoughts are probably a cause of depression.

Question 18

explain the weakness of Becks negative triad - faulty thinking leads to depression or the other way around.

Answer 18

we cant distinguish the cause-and-effect factors of
depression. We cannot be sure that faulty thinking (cognitive biases) is the cause of depression. It
could be that depression leads to faulty thinking. For example, Lewinsohn et al. (1981) found that
people who suffered from depression were not more likely to have negative thoughts than people
who have never been depressed. This suggests that Beck’s cognitive theory is weakened. As a result, it may point to other factors, such as genes and neurotransmitters, as the cause of depression.

Question 19

explain the weakness of becks negative triad - ignores biological explnations

Answer 19

it over-emphasises the importance of thought processes as the cause of depression and
tends to ignore biological explanations. There is research evidence suggesting that genes and neurotransmitters may be involved in the development of depression. For example, some research has focused on the role of the neurotransmitter serotonin and found lower levels in patients with depression. Furthermore, drug therapies, including SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) that increase the level of serotonin, are found to be effective in the treatment of depression. This means
that neurotransmitters also play a role in causing depression, and so a diathesis-stress model could be a better explanation for depression rather than cognitive or biological explanations on their own.

Question 20

explain the weakness of Becks negative triad - over simplified

Answer 20

it is over- simplified as it cannot explain all aspects of depression. For example, it cannot easily explain bipolar depression, where people that have ‘manic episodes’ (having high extreme emotions). A study by Jarrett (2013) found that, very occasionally, depressed patients can suffer from hallucinations and Cotard’s syndrome (the delusion that they are dead/zombies), which Beck’s cognitive theory of depression cannot easily explain. As a result, it shows that depression is a complex disorder and the
validity of Beck’s cognitive theory as an explanation of depression is weakened because it doesn’t offer a full, in-depth explanation and just focuses on one aspect of the disorder.

Question 21

explain the strength of Ellis’s Model - supporting research evidence

Answer 21

For example, Hammen and Kranz (1976) compared 33 depressed females with 34 non-depressed females and found that depressed participants made more errors in
logic when asked to interpret written material, than did non-depressed participants. This shows that irrational thinking has impaired their ability to do something which should have been quite simple. This study suggests that irrational thinking may also make people more prone to depression.

Question 22

explain the strength of Ellis’s ABC model - led to succesful cognitive therapies

Answer 22

has practical real-life applications. Ellis’s cognitive explanation has led to the development of an effective rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) for dealing with depression. The irrational
thought can be easily identified and challenged in REBT. This means a patient can test whether
the elements of their irrational thoughts are true. This is a strength of validity of Ellis’s cognitive
explanation because it translates well into a successful therapy, demonstrating that irrational
thoughts are related to depression.

Question 23

explain the weakness - irrational thinking leads to depression or the other way around?

Answer 23

we cant distinguish the cause-and-effect factors of
depression. We cannot be sure that faulty thinking (cognitive biases) is the cause of depression. It
could be that depression leads to faulty thinking. For example, Lewinsohn et al. (1981) found that
people who suffered from depression were not more likely to have negative thoughts than people
who have never been depressed. This suggests that Beck’s cognitive theory is weakened. As a result, it may point to other factors, such as genes and neurotransmitters, as the cause of depression.

Question 24

explain the weakness - ignores biological factors

Answer 24

it over-emphasises the importance of thought processes as the cause of depression and
tends to ignore biological explanations. There is research evidence suggesting that genes and neurotransmitters may be involved in the development of depression. For example, some research has focused on the role of the neurotransmitter serotonin and found lower levels in patients with depression. Furthermore, drug therapies, including SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) that increase the level of serotonin, are found to be effective in the treatment of depression. This means
that neurotransmitters also play a role in causing depression, and so a diathesis-stress model could be a better explanation for depression rather than cognitive or biological explanations on their own.