Lesson 9

Question 1

The Cognitive Triad

Answer 1

• Beck (1960)
• Negative thinking causes depression
• Negative thinking/schemas could be developed from childhood and overly critical upbringing. Life is viewed negatively in adulthood
• Stage One: Negative thoughts about self (I am useless)
• Stage Two: Negative thoughts about the world (I am useless at everything)
• Stage Three: Negative thoughts about the future (I will always be useless)

Question 2

Strengths of the Cognitive Triad

Answer 2

• Very influential in psychology and it is based on sound experimentation
• Can be linked to the behavioural approach, like classical conditioning and social learning, the CB approach
• Research support, like Terry (2000)

Question 3

Terry (2000)

Answer 3

Supports the Cognitive triad

• assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability
• Those who had high vulnerability before birth were more likely to suffer post-pregnancy depression.
• Negative thinking can cause depression

Question 4

Weaknesses of the Cognitive Triad

Answer 4

• Cause and effect is not clear. Can depression cause negative thinking?
• cannot explain how symptoms of depression such as anger, hallucinations or bizarre beliefs can occur.

Question 5

The ABC model

Answer 5

• Ellis
• Depression is caused by irrational beliefs

A - Activating event, like being fired from work
B - Beliefs, like thinking you are useless
C - Consequences, like your emotional response to your beliefs, such as feeling upset

Question 6

Mustabatory thinking

Answer 6

• This kind of thinking can cause depression
• I must be loved by everyone, or I must excel in everything
• Those who hold these beliefs are highly likely to be disappointed

Question 7

Strengths of the ABC model

Answer 7

• There is research support, like Bates (1999)
• There is supporting evidence that links negative attachments in childhood to depression in adulthood

Question 8

Bates (1999)

Answer 8

• Assessed depressed patients who were given negative thought statements
• They became more and more depressed as a result.

This kind of research can help provide effective depression treatments as we can identify the cause of it (negative thoughts).

Question 9

Weaknesses of the ABC model

Answer 9

• Cause and effect is not clear. Can depression cause irrational thinking?
• Does not take into account any situational factors regarding depression, like poor family life. It blames the victim and their thinking
• This approach is criticised by the biological approach, like Zhang (2005)

Question 10

Zhang (2005)

Answer 10

Weakens the ABC model

• discovered a gene that makes the carrier 10x more likely to develop depression.