COG - EXPLAINING DEPRESSION

• Depression


  A mood disorder characterised by low mood and low energy
• Mood disorder


  Disorders that affect the emotional state of those suffering from them, e.g. the current emotional mood is distorted or inappropriate to the circumstances
• Beck's cognitive explanation for vulnerability to depression


  • Faulty information processing - ignores positives, focuses on negatives, blows small problems out of proportion, sees themselves as worthless
  • Negative self-schemas - interprets everything around them negatively
  • The negative triad - negative view of the self, the world, and the future
• Weissman and Beck (1978)

  AIM: to investigate the thought processes of depressed people to establish if they make use of negative schemas. 

  METHOD: thought processes were measured using the DAS. Participants filled in a questionnaire assessed by a Likert scale (1-7) for 17 statements e.g. ‘people will probably think less of me if I make a mistake’. 
• Weissman and Beck (1978)

  RESULT: found that depressed participants made more negative assessments than non-depressed participants. When given therapy and coping mechanisms, their scores improved. 

  CONCLUSION: depression involves the use of negative schemas. 
• Strengths

  • Construct validity (supporting research) - W+B – supports the cognitive explanation of depression 
  • Highly useful – can start to create treatments to help 
• Weaknesses

  • Other explanations for depression – low levels of serotonin – hormonal explanation 
  • Use of questionnaires in BECKs study – exaggerated negative emotions due to depression OR social desirability bias