Cognitive Explanation Of Depression

Question 1

Beck’s negative triad

Answer 1

-The idea that there are three schemas with a continuous automatic bias.
-These three schemas are the self, the world and the future.
-When one is suffering from depression these schemas are effected.
-The ‘depressed’ self includes belief we are worthless and/or not good enough.
-The ‘depressed’ world involves the idea that people are hostile and/or threatening.
-The ‘depressed’ future involves the idea that the future brings bad things.
-Becks negative triad leads to social withdrawl and/or avoidance.
-It develops in childhood and creates a framework for negative biases in adulthood, leads to cognitive distortions.

Question 2

Ellis’ ABC model

Answer 2

-Activating event
-Belief - what we believe caused said event
-those with depression will have an irrational belief as a result of an event and those without will have a rational belief.
-Consequence - Irrational belief lead to negative consequence, rational belief leads to positive consequence.

Question 3

Cognitive explanation of depression

Answer 3

-Depression is due to irrational thoughts that result from maladaptive mental processes(false adaptation of our cognitions).

Question 4

Negative schemas

Answer 4

-A negative mental framework of different items from our own experiences that create a negative bias.

Question 5

Ellis’s Mustabatory thinking

Answer 5

-The consequence of being unable to accept that we don’t live in a perfect world.
-Examples of this are, the fact that we fail to achieve unrealistic goals, other people don’t behave how we desire.

Question 6

Cognitive distortions

Answer 6

-Where one perceives the world inaccurately.
-Commonly paired with over generalisation.

Question 7

Over generalisation

Answer 7

-When one draws false negative conclusions that are overly generalised from one bad situation.

Question 8

(AO3)Becks model limitations.

Answer 8

-Those who are depressed also experience anger, and those who have bi polar depression also have manic stages.
-These emotions are hard to explain using Beck’s ideas as his ‘negative schemas’ are resistant to change, suggesting that we will always hold these beliefs.
-This fails to explain the sudden change in emotion and beliefs of those with bi polar and can’t explain the bursts of anger that come with depression.

Question 9

(AO3)(depression)limitation of cognitive explanation

Answer 9

-The cognitive approach suggests that depression is irrational.
-Some argue that depression is not irrational in certain cases i.e. extreme poverty.
-People without depression could also be argued to have a cognitive bias to selectively view the world in a positive world and have too much optimism.
-It could be argued then instead that those who are depressed simply see the world in more realistic ways.

Question 10

(AO3)Practical application

Answer 10

-Ideas from the ABC model and the negative triad have allowed us to develop CBT, which is an effective depression therapy uses today.
-This demonstrates how the cognitive application has been used to treat depression hence there must be some truth to it.