The cognitive approach to explaining depression Flashcards
(10 cards)
How does Beck explain depression?
Some people are more vulnerable to depression than others
A persons cognitions create this vulnerability
What is faulty information processing?
Depressed people attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore positives.
‘Black and white thinking’ something is either good or bad
What is negative self schema?
Self schema - Package of information people have about themselves
People use schema to interpret the world
Negative self schema - interpret all information about themselves in a negative way
What is Becks negative triad?
Person develops a dysfunctional view of themselves because of three types of negative thinking that occur automatically, regardless of the reality of what is happening at the time.
Negative view of the world
Negative view of the future
Negative view of the self
What is an evaluation of Becks cognitive model of depression?
Research support
Clark and Beck
Not only were cognitive vulnerabilities more common in depress people but they preceded the depression
Cohen et al
Developmental of 473 adolescents
Regularly measuring cognitive vulnerability
Found showing cognitive vulnerability predicted later depression.
Showing there is an association between cognitive vulnerability and depression
What is an evaluation of Becks cognitive model of depression?
Real world applicaiton
Screening and treatment for depression
Cohen et al
Concluded cognitive vulnerability allows psychologists to screen young people
Identifying those most at risk of developing depression in the future and monitoring them
Can also be applied in cognitive behavioural therapy
Therapies work by altering the kind of cognitions that make people vulnerable to depressing
Making them more resilient to negative life events
Meaning understanding of cognitive vulnerability is useful in more than one aspect of clinical practice
What did Ellis suggest about explaining depression?
Good mental health is a result of rational thinking, defined as thinking in ways that allow people to be happy and free from pain
Poor mental health - result of irrational thoughts
Irrational thoughts - any thoughts that interfere with us being happy and free from pain
What is the ABC model?
Activating event - thoughts are triggered by external events
Beliefs - Beliefs that interfere with out happiness
Consequences - Activating event triggers irrational beliefs there are emotional and behavioural triggers.
What is an evaluation for Eliss ABC model?
Real world evaluation
Treatment for depression
Cognitive therapy called rational emotive behaviour therapy
Vigorously arguing with a depressed person the therapist can alter the irrational beliefs that are making them unhappy
REBT has real world value
What is an evaluation for Eliss ABC model?
Reactive and endogenous depression
Only explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression
Activating events - reactive depression
Many cases of depression not traceable to life events
Not obvious what leads to a person becoming depressed at a certain time
Called endogenous depression
Less useful for explain endogenous depression
Model can only explain some cases of depression and is therefor only a partial explanation
