Beck explanation

• Beck's cognitive theory

  beck suggested there is a cognitive explanation as to why some people are more vulnerable to depression than others.
• what three parts did Beck suggest to his explanation of cognitive vulnerability?

  1. faulty information processing
  2. negative self-scehmas
  3. negative triad
• what is faulty information processing?

  1. Beck believed that people who are depressed make errors in logic
  2. Beck said that depressed people selectively attend to negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive
  3. this is known as negative abstraction
  4. cognitive bias- over generalising
• what are negative self-schemas?

  1. Schemas are a 'package' of ideas we have about ourselves.
  2. People who have depression have developed negative self-schemas and therefore interpret information about themselves in a negative way.
• what is the negative triad?

  1. Beck suggested that people with depression become trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts.
  2. they have a tendency to view themselves, the world and the future in pessimistic ways.