Cognitive approach to explaining depression

• Beck's theory is based on the idea that people with depression have distorted thinking styles which lead to negative beliefs about themselves, others and the world around them.
• There are 3 parts to cognitive vulnerability:

  • Faulty information processing (tendency to attend to negative aspects of a situation
  • Negative self-schema
  • The negative triad
• What does the cognitive triad consist of?

  Negative views about the world

  Negative views about the future

  Negative views about one's self
• What evidence supports Beck's cognitive theory of depression?

  There is a range of evidence to suggest that depression is the result of faulty information processing and negative self-schema

  • Cohen - monitored 473 adolescents and found that those considered cognitively vulnerable were later diagnosed with depression
• Ellis's ABC model explaisn that conditions like depression are the result of irrational thinking which interferes with being happy

  • A: activating event
  • B: beliefs
  • C: consequences
• Reactive depression, depression as a result of external events can be explained by Ellis's ABC model as it can be attributed to a cause.

  Endogenous depression, depression that occurs without the presence of stress or trauma with no apparent cause cant be explained by Ellis's ABC model