Explanation

• Beck's explanation (cognitive)

  • negative schemas are triggered whenever individuals are in similar situations to where they were learnt
  • occur automatically regardless of the reality of what is happening at the time

  Beck's cognitive triad:

  
• Another aspect of Beck's model concerns how depressed people are inclined to make overly negative and self defeating interpretations that lead to low mood and passitivity.

  Examples of cognitive biases include: focusing on negative details or events whilst ignoring positive ones, overgeneralisation and seeing everything in terms of success and failure.
• Ellis explanation of depression

  Ellis believed that irrational thoughts interfere with us being happy and free from pain.

  ABC model of depression

  • A - activating event, e.g. failing a test or ending a relationship
  • B - beliefs , e.g. musturbation - we must always succeed or achieve perfection
  • C - consequences - e.g. triggers depression
• A03- Value - REBT

  • the cognitive approach has provided a popular way of treating depression
  • cognitive therapies such as Ellis' rational emotional therapy are used to treat depressed patients
  • Ellis' ABC model was extended to form ABCDEF
  • D is used to dispute irrational beliefs
  • E is used to teach the client effective new ways of thinking
  • F looks at new feelings that are produced
• A03 - Problem

  • do negative thoughts cause depression or does depression cause negative thinking?
  • Beck sees the relationship as bi directional with depression causing negative thinking as well as negative thinking causing depression.
• A03 - Other factors

  • there are other factors that might be involved in depression
  • the biological explanation proposes that depression is caused by low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, or a person may inherit a genetic predisposition
  • BUT results from twin studies are not 100% therefore other factors such as cognitions must also play a role
• A03 -pros and cons

  • there are pros and cons of blaming the patient rather than situational factors
  • could make the individual worse and reinforce their negative or irrational beliefs about themselves
  • however it rules out social factors as the root cause of depression as inequality in society, which is likely to play a role in activating depression