L9 - Cog Explanations Of Depression

Question 1

What is the underlying assumption?

Answer 1

Depression is the result of disturbance in thinking

It is a consequence of faulty/negative thinking about events

Question 2

What did Beck believe?

Answer 2

• Depressed people have negative schemas during childhood
• Adopt a pessimistic view of the world
• Caused by parental rejection/ criticism from teachers

Question 3

When are negative schemas activated?

Answer 3

When a person encounters a new situation that resembles the original conditions when the schema was learned.

Question 4

What do negative schemas lead to?

Answer 4

Cognitive biases in thinking e.g overgeneralisations
- They maintain the negative triad
The Self, The World, The Future

Question 5

Evaluation of the negative triad

Answer 5

(+) Supporting evidence. Terry assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability before/after they gave birth. Women with high cog vulnerability were more likely to suffer post-partum depression.

(-) Cause and Effect not clear
(-) Doesn’t explain how some symptoms develop e.g anger

Question 6

What is the ABC Model

Answer 6

• Proposed by Ellis who thought depression is caused by irrational beliefs
  A: Activating event - incident
  B: Beliefs - Thoughts after activating event
  C: Consequences - Emotions caused by beliefs

Question 7

Evaluation of ABC Model

Answer 7

(+) Research to support ABC model. Depressed patients who were given negative thought statements became more depressed

(-) Blames the client for their depression