Cognitive Explanations

• Ellis's ABC Model (1962)

  • activating event - we experience a negative even which triggers an irrational belief
  • belief - irrational beliefs (e.g. utopianism) means that it's a major disaster when something goes wrong
  • consequence - have an emotional response to your belief, if its an irrational belied it can lead to unhealthy emotions like depressions
• Beck's Negative Triad

  • faulty information processing - tend to focus on the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives
  • negative self schemas - acquired through childhood, and interpret all the information about ourselves in a negative way
  • negative view of the self - helpless, worthless and inadequate
  • negative view of the world - perceived obstacles seem to be unable to be dealt with, creates impression of no hope
  • negative view of the future
• Evaluation of Beck

  • Grazioli and Terry - 65 women for cognitive vulnerability and depression after birth, women judged to be high in cognitive vulnerability were most likely to suffer post-natal depression
  • Clark and Beck (1999) - solid support for cognitive vulnerability factors, suggesting that Beck may be right about cognition causing depression
  • forms the basis of CBT
  • only explains the basic symptoms of depression and can't explain complex symptoms (e.g. Cotard syndrome)
• Evaluation of Ellis

  • only applies to reactive depression and is therefore only a partial explanation for depression
  • practical application in CBT
  • doesn't explain all aspects of depression (e.g. the anger associated or hallucination and delusions)