Psychopathology - The Cognitive Approach To Explaining & Treating Depression

Question 1

What is the cognitive approach?

Answer 1

An approach focused on how our mental processes (thoughts, attention, perception) affect behaviour

Question 2

Who proposed the negative triad model to explain depression

Answer 2

Beck

Question 3

What is faulty information processing?

Answer 3

When depressed people tend to see the negative aspects of a situation & ignore the positives
‘black & white’ thinking

Question 4

What is a schema?

Answer 4

A ‘package’ ideas & information developed through experience & act as a mental framework for the interpretation of sensory information

Question 5

What does it mean if someone has a negative self schema?

Answer 5

They tend to interpret all information about themselves in a negative way

Question 6

What is the negative triad?

Answer 6

3 kinds of negative thinking that happen automatically & contribute to depression. They lead a person to interpret their experiences in a negative way & so make them more vulnerable to depression

Question 7

What is the negative view of the world?

Answer 7

E.g. ‘the world is a cold hard place’ - creates the impression there’s no hope anywhere

Question 8

What is the negative view of the future?

Answer 8

E.g. ‘there isn’t much chance that the economy will improve’- reduces any hopefulness & enhances depression

Question 9

What is the negative view of the self?

Answer 9

E.g. ‘I’m a failure’ - enhances depressive feelings because they confirm the existing emotions of low self-esteem

Question 10

What are the strengths of the negative triad model?

Answer 10

Supporting research - Clark & Beck, Cohen et al (2019) found that cognitive vulnerabilities (e.g. negative view of the future) were not only common with depressed people but that they predicted depression & often preceded it.
Real world application - Can be applied to CBT. They work by altering the kind of cognitions that make people vulnerable to depression & make them more resilient - shows an understanding of cognitive vulnerabilities is useful in more than 2 ways of critical practice

Question 11

What are the limitations of the negative triad model?

Answer 11

A partial explanation - some aspects of depression aren’t particulary well explained (e.g. extreme anger/hallucinations) although there are similar patterns of cognition - only a partial explanation for depression

Question 12

Who proposed the ABC model?

Answer 12

Ellis

Question 13

What is good mental health a result of?

Answer 13

Rational thinking

Question 14

What is rational thinking?

Answer 14

Thinking in ways that allow people to be happy & free from pain

Question 15

What causes poor mental health (e.g. depression)?

Answer 15

Irrational thinking

Question 16

What is irrational thinking?

Answer 16

Any thoughts that interfere with us being happy & free from pain

Question 17

what is A in the ABC model?

Answer 17

Activating event

Question 18

What is an Activating event?

Answer 18

When someone experiences negative events which trigger irrational beliefs

Question 19

What is B in the ABC model?

Answer 19

Beliefs

Question 20

What is an example of an irrational belief identified by Ellis?

Answer 20

Utopianism - the belief life should always meant to be fair

Question 21

What is the C in the ABC model?

Answer 21

Consequences

Question 22

What are consequences?

Answer 22

Emotional or behavioural consequences that occur when an activating event triggers an irrational belief

Question 23

What is a strength of the ABC model?

Answer 23

Real world application - rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) (vigorously arguing with the depressed person so the therapist can alter the irrational belief that is making them unhappy) evidence shows it does help

Question 24

What are the limitations of the ABC model?

Answer 24

Only explains reactive & endogenous depression - many cases of depression aren’t traceable to life events & it isnt obvious what makes them depressed - only a partial explanation

Ethics - controversial as it places responsibility on the depressed person themselves - critics say it’s effectively blaming the depressed person which is unfair