[Psychopathology] Topic 6 - The cognitive approach to explaining depression

Question 1

Ellis ABC Model

Answer 1

Ellis ABC model says that when an (A) Activating event leads to an (B) irrational belief the (C) consequences of this is depression

Example: A: Being fired, B: Company hated you C: Depression.

Question 2

Masturbatory thinking

Answer 2

Source of irrational beliefs such as I must be approved by the important people, I must do well or i’m helpless

Question 3

Beck’s cognitive theory of depression

Answer 3

• Beck’s model sees depression roots as lying in traumatic childhood experiences such as continual parental criticism and or rejections.
• These leads to negative cognitive schemas developing such as expecting to fail in situations similar to those present when the schemas were learnt
• Negative schemas and cognitive biases maintain the negative triad:
  [1] Negative view of the world: world sucks
  [2] Negative view of the future: life wont get better
  [3] Negative view about self: I suck

Faulty information processing: Only looking at negatives

Question 4

Evaluation of Beck’s cognitive theory of depression

Answer 4

• A strength of Beck’s cognitive theory of depression is that it forms the basis of CBT.
• All cognitive aspects of depression can be identified and challenged in CBT.
• This means that a therapist can challenge the negative triad and encourage the patient to test whether or not they are true. This is a strength of the explanation because it translate well into a successful therapy

Question 5

Evaluation of Ellis’s ABC model

Answer 5

• A limitation of this model is that its a partial explanation, there is no doubt that some cases of depression follow activating events. However psychologist call this ‘reactive depression’ and see it as different from the kind of depression that arises without an obvious cause.
• This means that Ellis’s explanation only applies to some kinds of depression and is therefore only a partial explanation of depression