Psychology essay 22
Discuss the cognitive approach to explaining depression.
The Cognitive Approach to explaining depression
According to the cognitive approach, it is not the events in people’s lives that cause depression, it is the way they think about these events. There are two main examples of the cognitive approach to explaining depression, the ABC model, and the Negative Triad.
Ellis’ ABC Model: (A01)
Albert Ellis (1962), proposed that the key to mental disorders such as depression, lay in irrational beliefs. In his ‘ABC Model’:
• A refers to an ‘activating event’ (A) - e.g. getting sacked at work. Events like failing an important test or ending a relationship might trigger irrational beliefs.
• B is the belief, which may be rational or irrational (e.g., ‘The company was overstaffed’ or ‘I was sacked because they’ve always had it in for me’). According to Ellis, the source of irrational beliefs lies in mustabatory thinking. This is the belief that we must always succeed or achieve perfection. E.g., ‘I must be liked by everyone’. ‘I must get an A on all my tests’.
• C is the consequences – rational beliefs lead to healthy emotions (e.g. acceptance) whereas irrational beliefs lead to unhealthy emotions, including depression.
Beck’s Negative Triad (1967)
Aaron Beck (1967) believed that depressed individuals feel as they do because their thinking is biased towards negative interpretations of the world.
Negative self- schemas (A01)
When you studied the cognitive approach, you learnt that a schema is a packet of ideas and information developed through experience. It seems that depressed people acquire negative core beliefs about themselves (self-schema) during childhood. These beliefs are often caused by parental and/or peer rejection and criticism in early childhood.
Negative core beliefs lead to cognitive biases (distortions) in thinking. See picture for examples. STRETCH AND
CHALLENGE: Make notes on other examples of cognitive distortions.
The Negative Triad
Negative core beliefs and cognitive biases maintain what Beck called the ‘negative triad’. The negative triad is a pessimistic and irrational view, caused by three types of negative thinking that occur automatically, regardless of the reality of what is happening at the time.
These are negative views of:
The self (e.g. ‘I am a bore’). Such thoughts enhance any existing depressive feelings because they confirm the existing emotions of low self-esteem.
The world (e.g. ‘everything is against me, everyone leaves me’). This creates the impression that there is no hope anywhere.
The future (e.g. ‘I will always be on my own’). Such thoughts reduce any hopefulness and enhance depression.
Beck argues that this triad of negative thoughts creates a ‘cognitive vulnerability’ that may then lead to depression.
Evaluation of Beck’s theory (AO3)
P: A range of evidence supports the idea that depression is due to negative thinking
E: For example, Grazioli and Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women before and after birth. They found that those who had a high number of cognitive biases were more likely to have post-natal depression. Importantly, these cognitive biases were present BEFORE the depression developed.
E: Additionally, Clark and Beck (1999) carried out a meta- analysis of research into this area and found strong support for Beck’s cognitive theory.
L: This evidence suggests that Beck’s theory is a valid explanation of depression.
Evaluation of Ellis theory: (A03)
P: The ABC model cannot explain all types of depression because not all cases of depression are triggered by an activating event.
E: For example, endogenous depression is caused by chemical and/or genetic factors, rather than an activating life event.
L: This means that the ABC explanation only applies to some kinds of depression (e.g. reactive depression) and is therefore an invalid explanation of depression.
GENERAL EVALUATION (can be applied to BOTH theories)
P: A strength of the cognitive explanation is that it has been applied to ‘Cognitive- Behavioural Therapy’ (CBT).
E: CBT is consistently found to be the best treatment for depression (Cuijpers, 2013).
E: The success of the treatment lends support to the cognitive explanation. If depression is alleviated by challenging irrational thinking, then this suggests such thoughts had a role in the depression in the first place.
L: This increases the validity of the cognitive explanations.
P: However, the cognitive approach appears to blame the patient for their depression.
E: The approach suggests depression is the result of the way a person thinks, and that recovery is only possible by changing a person’s thought processes. This places a large burden of blame on a person already prone to negative thinking.
E: Additionally, this stance may lead the client or therapist to overlook how life events or family problems may be contributing to the depression.
L: In such cases, changing the situation may be more important than focussing on cognitive factors.
P: The biological approach provides an alternative explanation for depression.
E: It argues that depression is caused by low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. The success of anti-depressants, which increase serotonin levels, supports the view that biological factors play a part in the disorder.
E: For this reason, the diathesis-stress approach is usually adopted by psychologists.
L: This suggests that individuals with a genetic vulnerability for depression are more prone to stressful life events, which then leads to negative thinking.
According to the cognitive approach, it is the way people think about events in their lives that cause depression. There are two main explanations- Ellis’ ABC model and Beck’s negative triad. Ellis’ ABC model has three parts- the activating event- a large event that acts as a trigger, the belief- irrational beliefs and mustabatory thinking can cause depression, and consequences- the consequences for holding those beliefs, and the emotions that they cause. Overall, the model proposed that mental disorders stem from irrational beliefs.
Beck’s negative triad states that people get depression due to biased thinking and negative interpretations. They have negative self schema, which are developed during childhood, and lead to cognitive biases. The negative triad includes negative views about the self- which causes low self esteem, negative thoughts about the world- the impression that the world is working against them, and negative thoughts about the future- which reduces hopefulness.
One weakness of Ellis’ ABC model is that it cannot explain all types of depression because they are not always caused by an activating event. For example, endogenous depression is caused by chemical and/or genetic factors. This means that the ABC model can only apply to some kinds of depression, and is an invalid model of depression overall.
One strength of Beck’s negative triad is supporting research. Grazioli and Terry assessed 65 pregnant women before and after birth, finding that those with a high number of cognitive biases before birth were more likely to have post-natal depression. This evidence suggests Beck’s theory is a valid explanation of depression.
One strength of the cognitive explanation is that it has real world benefits. The cognitive explanation has helped to develop cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which has been found to be hugely successful. The success of the treatment itself lends support to the cognitive explanation. This increases the validity of the cognitive explanations.
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