explaining depression

• cognitive explanations of depression - Beck


  -negative schemas can develop in response to unhappy childhood experiences (rejection and criticism)

  -these schemas create systematic cognitive biases = everything being viewed negatively
• what are schemas?

  -packets of knowledge that are accumulated over time to help you in different situations
• what is overgeneralisation?


  -general conclusions based on single negative events

  e.g. "i can't cook after burning a cake"
• what is magnification?


  -exaggerating small problems into far larger ones
• becks cognitive triad

  -a negative triad of thinking (self, world, future)
• cognitive explanations of depression - Ellis' ABC model


  =people mistakenly blaming external events for their illness

  (their interpretation is what leads to depression)
• Ellis' ABC model


  A - activating event that triggers B (failing mock exam)

  B - beliefs about the event (i cant do exams)

  C - consequences (quit college/become depressed)
• non-depressed people may react completely differently to the same activating event, the difference is self perception
• explaining depression AO3 - supporting evidence

  Boury et al 2001 - monitored students negative thoughts

  • depressives misinterpreted facts/experiences negatively and felt hopeless about the future

  :( can lie on a self report

  :( depressives typically magnify their experiences

  :( done on students - population validity
• explaining depression AO3 - cause & effect


  -does negative thinking cause depression or is it the other way around?

  • temple wisconsin study - measured students thinking styles every few months

  = 17% who scored high on negative thinking tests developed depression but only 1% who scored low did
• explaining depression AO3 - blaming patient 


  -blaming the patients thinking processes could feed into their low self esteem and make them feel worse

  :) could empower them and help them realise that they are in control and can think positively
• explaining depression AO3 - other factors

  • situational factors
  • biological factors = low serotonin or genetics (hereditary)
• explaining depression AO3 - IRL application


  -cognitive behavioural therapy

  • typically very effective which supports the idea that cognition plays a key role in causing depression