psychopathology- the cognitive approach to explaining + treating depression Flashcards
ao1 for exp done
what is the fundamental belief of the cognitive approach in relation to mental disorders
all mental disorders are the result of negative mental processes/cognitive distortions such as irrational thought processes
what are cognitive distortions
perceptions and interpretations are distorted > individual believes they are the cause of their disorder
irrational/negative thought processes
irrational interpretations
negative expectations
what is the model for the cognitive explanation of depression and what does it explain depression in terms of
ellis’ abc model explains depression in terms of irrational beliefs
in abc model what is A and an eg
activating event eg fail your exams
in abc model what is B and an eg
belief about that event eg i am so stupid
in abc model what is C and an eg
consequence of that belief eg i will never pass anything > becomes depressed
what is mustabatory thinking/ what are the 3 most important irrational beliefs
thinking that certain ideas/assumptions MUST be true in order for individual to be happy
i must be approved of or accepted by people i find important.
i must do well or very well or i am worthless.
the world must give me happiness or i die
holding these assumptions means they are bound to be dissapointed/depressed
what are negative schemas, eg and what does it lead to
a tendency to adopt a negative view of the world, can be caused by rejection and criticism
they come from early childhood from significant others eg parents, teachers, oeers
eg expecting to fail
leads to overgeneralised/sweeping conclusions about self worth based on one small criticism, leads to systematic cognitive biases of thinking
when are negative schemas triggered
the negative schemas (eg expecting to fail) are activated whenever a new situation is encountered eg an exam that resembles the original conditions that the schema was learned
what are the 3 components of becks negative triad inc egs
top: negative view of the self eg i am plain
right: negative view of the world eg i can understand why people dont like me, they will prefer someone elses company
left: negative view of the future eg i will always be alone
how do the 3 components of becks negative triad interact and what does this cause
the 3 interact (arrows in all directions) to distort bias and lead to the individual blaming themselves and interpreting facts, a pessimistic and irrational view of someones beliefs
person focusses on negatives
what is becks negative triad maintained by
negative schemas and cognitive biases which cause depressive thinking
evaluation for exp: limitation, some irrational beliefs may be rational
but just SEEM irrational
alloy and abramson suggest depressive realists see things for what they are, giving more accurate estimates of the likelihood of a disaster compared to “normal” controls
this is the “sadder but wiser” effect
additionally doubts about a rationality could raise questions about the value of the cognitive approach
evaluation of cog exp: alternative exp bio
bio approach could explain depression in terms of genes and neurotransmitters eg the gene for low levels of serotonin is 10x more common in people with depression
also the success of drug therapies for treating depression provides evidence that neurotransmitters play a role
evaluation of cog exp: strength, blames the client …AND limitation because
suggests that client is responsible for their disorder > gives them power to change things, focuses clients mind on recovery
limitation tho however cus may lead client or therapist to overlook situational factors eg not considering how life events or family problems may have contributed to depression
other aspects need to be considered in order for best chance at recovery
what does REBT stand for
rational emotive behaviour therapy
what does D stand fo
disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs
what does e stand for
effects of disputing and having an effective attitude to life
what does F stand for
new feelings that are produced
what are the 3 types of disputing
logical
empirical
pragmatic
what is logical disputing
does this thought make sense in the light of the info available eg does thinking this way make sense
what is empirical disputing
where is the proof/evidence that these beliefs are accurate
