cognitive approach to explaining depression

• Ellis' ABC model: when activating event (A) leads to irrational belief (B). the consequence (C) may be depression. masturbatory thinking = source of irrational beliefs 'I must do well or I am worthless'

  eg. A - fired at work, B - believes the company had it in for you, C - depression.
• Becks negative triad: childhood experiences eg. continual parental criticism or rejection by others lead to negative schemas developing, activated in situations similar to those present when schemas were learnt. Negative beliefs of self, world and the future.
• • criticism of ABC model, irrational beliefs not always irrational but may just seem like that. Alloy & Abrahamson found depressed people actually gave more accurate estimates of the likelihood od disaster than non-depressed people. suggests depressive realists tend to see things as they are.
• • can't explain all aspects of depression, some cases people become extremely angry or suffer hallucinations which can't be explained by Beck's theory.
• • practical application, used in REBT and CBT.
• • Ellis only partial explanation, not all depression follows negative event, only applies for reactive depression (depression in response to a negative experience)