the cognitive approach to explaining depression Flashcards
components of becks cognitive theory of depression
faulty information processing
negative self schema
the negative triad
faulty information processing
when people are depressed tend to focus on the negative aspects of a situation ie if they won the lottery and got 1 mill might focus on the fact last week someone got 10 mill
also tend to blow small problems out of proportion and think in black and white terms
negative self schemas
schema is a package of ideas and beliefs developed through experience, act as a mental framework
we use schemas to interpret info about the world , so if we have a negative schema we interpret all info about ourselves in a negative way
the negative triad
a person develops a dysfunctional view of themselves bc of three types of thinking that occur automatically
- negative view of self
- negative view of future
- negative view of world
a strength , beck
good supporting evidence
a range of info supports the idea that depression is associated with faulty thinking
- grazoli and Terry 2000
assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vunerability and depression before and birth . they found those women judged to have been in cognitive vunerability and were more likely to suffer post natal depression.
these cognitions can be seen before depression occurs so beck can be seen as being right that cognition causes depression in some cases
a strength , beck
pratical applications
forms the basis for cat
all cognitive aspects of depression can be identified and challenged in cbt , including components of the negative triad as easily identifiable
means therapist can identify and challenge them and encourage the patient to get wether they are true
strength as explanation translates well into successful therapy
a limitation , beck
doesn’t explain all aspects of depression
explains the basic symptoms of depression , but it is a complex issue .
some depressed patients are deeply angry and beck cannot explain this extreme emotion
some have hallucinations and bizarre beliefs , rare cases have cotard syndrome , the delusion that they are zombies - jarred 2013
becks theory cannot explain these cases
what did ellis say his abc model is intended for
to explain how irrational thoughts affect our behaviour and emotional state
ellis’ abc model A
Activating event
irrational thoughts are triggered by external events
negative events trigger irrational thoughts ie relationships ending
ellis’ abc model B
Beliefs
ellis identified a range of irrational beliefs
“mustabatory thinking”
I must …
belief that it is a major disaster when something does not go smoothly
utopianism = belief that life is always meant to be fair
ellis’ abc model C
Consequences
when an activating event triggers irrational beliefs there are emotional and behavourial consequences
ie if you think you should always succeed and fail at something it can trigger depression
a strength , ellis
partial explanation
no doubt that some cases of depression follow activating events
psychologists call this reactive depression and see it as a type of depression that arises without an obvious cause
means ellis explanation only applies to some kinds of depression not all so is only a partial explanation
a strength , ellis
practical application
ellis explanation has lead to successful practical explanations in cbt.this idea that by challenging irrational negative beliefs a person can reduce their depression and is supported by reproach evidence ie lipsky et al . this in turn supports the basic theory because it suggests that the irrational beliefs had some role in the depression
a limitation , ellis
doesn’t explain aspects
ellis explains why some people appear to be more vulnerable to depression then others as a result of their cognitions his approache has very much the same limitation as becks , it doesn’t easily explain the anger associated with depression or the fact some patients suffer hallucinationations or delusions
