Week 5

Question 1

How does Behavioural Activation approach depression?

Answer 1

They view depression as an extinction of response contingent positive reinforcement. This means that individuals have stopped doing things they have previously enjoyed. Additionally, they have increased behaviours that maintain their dysphoria such as laying in bed.

Helping them to change undesirable behaviour and reintroducing them to positive reinforcement may help to introduce pleasure and mastery into their lives again.

Question 2

What role do cognitions play in Behavioural Activation?

Answer 2

Automatic thoughts may get in the way of engaging in scheduled activities, so that we need to anticipate them and already plan on how to counteract them.

Even when they successfully engage in activities, their automatic thoughts may derive them from any sense of pleasure or mastery gained.

Question 3

What is the result of Lewinsohn’s functional analysis of depression?

Answer 3

Depressed individuals show low response contingent positive reinforcement (RCPR) rates which leads to the development and maintenance of depression.

Low RCPR leads to even less frequent activities further preventing the positive reinforcement that they so urgently need. Eventually they have narrowed down their behavioural repertoire significantly and developed much avoidance behaviour.

Question 4

We wish to shift from TRAP to … ?

Answer 4

TRAC: after some trigger has caused a response we wish to engage in alternative coping rather than an avoidance pattern.

Question 5

Engaging in mood-independent behaviour is good for?

Answer 5

Shifting from TRAP to TRAC: Pursuing valued or planned activities despite a negative mood.