cognitive & sociocultural explanations for depression

cognitive explanations for depression

Aaron’s Beck’s (1967) cognitive theory of depression - views cognitive factors (thoughts & beliefs) as the major cause of depressive behaviour

  • he suggested that changing automatic thoughts can lead to a change in behaviour

The theory identifies 3 elements of depression

  1. the cognitive triad - deeply grounded beliefs about the self, the world & the future. cognitive triad interferes with automatic thoughts, making them unrealistically pessimistic

  2. negative self-schemata - refers to the individual interpreting their self-esteem & self-image in a negative way. it can be a result of traumatic childhood experiences

  3. faulty thinking patterns - refers to how the individual interprets their daily life. the above negative beliefs lead to various cognitive biases, which are used by ppl with depression, to interpret their daily experiences. some faulty thinking patterns:

    1. arbitrary inference - arriving at far-fetched conclusions with little evidence

    2. selective abstraction - focusing only on one aspect of an experience

    3. overgeneralization - drawing conclusions from the basis of a single event

    4. personalization - placing blame on oneself for everything

    5. dichotomous thinking - black & white thinking

according to Beck, the thinking of depressed people is full of irrational biases & elements

  • these negative thoughts can be changed by identifying them, and then replacing the negative thinking with more logical thinking

  • this concept forms the basis of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

the concept that depression is associated with irrational thinking patterns is supported by research:

Alloy et al (1999) showed that negative cognitive styles can contribute/predict the development of depression

Caseras et al (2007) showed that individuals with MDD can exhibit negative attention biases

individuals with depression hv also been shown to make logical errors

Strengths of cognitive explanations for depression

  • strong empirical support

  • patients receiving CBT are viewed as ppl who hv the power to control their lives

Limitations of cognitive explanations for depression

  • focus on correlational nature of most research studies

    • difficult to distinguish between the thinking that causes depression & the thinking that’s caused by depression

sociocultural explanations for depression

this approach looks at the role that environmental factors play in the mental health

one sociocultural model for depression is the vulnerability model of mental illness

  • proposes that depression arises when environmental risk factors outweigh protective factors

    • individuals exposed to difficult environmental factors, such as poverty or extreme stress, and have no support, are more likely to develop depression

  • there is also a relationship between predisposition & environmental factors

    • if individuals have higher biological or psychological vulnerabilities, there is little stress needed to trigger depression

Brown and Harris (1978) proposed a model for depression - it highlights how vulnerability factors can interact with triggers, in order to increase risk of depression

  • they’re study found that, in women, thee are 4 vulnerability factors that, when combined with stressors, are more likely to develop depression

    • three or more children under age of 14

    • lack of an intimate relationship with husband or boyfriend

    • lack of employment

    • loss of mother before age of 11 years

hv also been claims that some mental disorder symptoms can spread from person to person, along a network of interpersonal relationships

  • Rosenquist, Fowler & Christakis (2011) investigated possibility of depressive symptoms spreading from person-to-person

    • concluded that there is a significant correlation in depressive symptoms between ppl up to 3 degrees in separation

cultural perceptions also play an important role in the development & presentation of depressive symptoms

when answering a question like this on the exam -make sure to communicate the interaction between the body, mind and environment

  • sociocultural explanations tend to interact with other factors, such as biological & cognitive