The Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression Flashcards
What are the causes of depression?
- Negative thoughts
- Irrational beliefs
- Misinterpretation of event
What did Beck suggest?
Cognitive explanation to why people are more vulnerable to depression than others
What are the three parts to this cognitive vulnerability?
- Faulty information processing
- Negative self-schemas
- Negative triad
Why is faulty information processing a cause of depression?
- Make fundamental errors in logic
- Selectively attend to the negative aspects
- Blow small problems out of proportion
What phrase is used to describe the thought process of those with depression?
‘Thinking in black and white’
Why is negative self-schemas a cause of depression?
Those suffering interpret all the information about themselves in a negative way
What is a self-schema?
A package of ideas that we have about ourselves
What is a schema?
A building block of knowledge, a ‘package’ of ideas and information that has developed with experience
What did Weissman and Beck (1978) aim to investigate?
The thought processes of depressed people to establish if they make use of negative schemas
What was the method of Weissman and Beck (1978)?
- Measured thoughts on a dysfunctional attitude scale (DAS)
- Participants ticked whether they agree or not
What was the results of Weissman and Beck (1978)?
-Depressed had more negative assessment
What are the three elements of the negative triad?
- Negative view of the self
- Negative view of the world
- Negative view of the future
What model did Ellis propose?
The ABC model
What does the A stand for in the ABC model?
Activating event
Why may depression arise from an activating event?
A negative experience has occurred causing negative and irrational thoughts
What does the B stand for in the ABC model?
Beliefs (Irrational)
What are different types of irrational beliefs?
- ‘Musterbation’ (Must always succeed)
- ‘I-can’t-stand-it-itis’ (Disaster if things do not go slowly)
- ‘Utopianism’ (World must always be fair and just)
What does the C stand for in the ABC model?
Consequence
Why may consequences arise?
When an activating event triggers irrational beliefs this causes emotional and behavioural consequences
Does Beck’s theory have good supporting evidence?
Yes
Does Grazioli and Terry (2000) support Ellis’s theory?
No, it supports Beck’s therapy
What did Grazioli and Terry (2000) do/find?
- Assessed 65 pregnant woman for cognitive vulnerability
- Higher vulnerability more likely to suffer post-natal depression
Does Beck’s therapy have a practical application?
Formed the basis of CBT
-Explanation translates well into therapy
Why is Ellis’s theory only a partial explanation?
Not all depressions arise from an obvious cause but some do
Why does the cognitive approach not explain all aspects of depression?
Doesn’t explain why some people have anger associated with their depression or some suffer from hallucination and delusions
What is a reactive depression?
Depression occurs as the result of an activating event
