Cognitive approach in explaning depression

What makes depression cognitive

It focuses on individuals negative thoughts, irrational beliefs and misinterpretation of events as being causes of depression

What are the 2 explanations of depression

Ellisis ABC model, Becks negative triad

What is Ellisis ABC model

• argued there’s common irrational beliefs that underline depression, sufferers base their lives on these.

• Activating event, beliefs, consequence.

What is Activating event in ABC model

• irrational thoughts are triggered by external event.

• we get depressed when we experience negative events, which trigger irrational beliefs

What is Beliefs in ABC model

• we must always succeed, achieve perfection (musturbation).

• belief its a disaster when something goes wrong.

What is Consequence in ABC model

• when activating event triggers irrational beliefs that are emotional and behavioural consequences.

What is Becks negative triad theory

• explains vulnerability to depression in cognitive terms.

• Faulty informational processing, negative self schema, negative traid

What is faulty informational processing in Becks model

• selective attention to negative aspects, ignores all positive

• ‘Black and white thinking’

What is negative self schema in Becks model

• interpret all information about themselves in a negative way.

What is the negative triad in Becks model

• 3 kinds of negative automatic thinking

• About the world, future and self

• Leads to hopelessness

Weakness of Ellis’s model- Only explains reactive and not endogenous

• Dosen’t explain endogenous depression

• Depression often triggered by life events called reactive depression.

• But many causes of depression aren’t traceable to life events so not obvious what causes person to be depressed.

• This is called endogenous depression.

Strength of Beck- Real world application to therapy

• Becks model can be applied to successful treatments.

• Understanding cognitive vulnerability (CV) can be applied to CBT which is best treatment for depression.

• Allows psychologists to identify ppl most at risk and monitor them.

• Means understanding CV is useful in more than 1 aspect of clinical practice.

Weakness- its reductionsit

• its a narrow explanation

• takes no account of biological or genetic factors, only looks at cognitive approach

Strength of Beck- real world application to therapy

• Ellis approach to cognitive therapy is called REBT- successful.

• It challenges irrational beliefs by therapist arguing with patient to alter these beliefs to reduce depression.

• Means REBT has real world value

Weakness of Beck- Dosen’t explain all aspects of depression

• Becks idea of cognitive vulnerability is important explanation for depression as many people show these patterns

• But there are some aspects of depression which aren’t explained by cognitive explanations e.g. hallucinations, anger.

• Shows cognitive vulnerability has limited explanation for depression