Becks negative triad explation:

• STRENGTH

  • Existence of supporting research
  • 'Cognitive vulnerability' refers to ways of thinking that may predispose a person to becoming depressed ie negative self schema
  • Review Beck et al 1999 concluded that not only were these cognitive vulnerabilities more common in depressed people but they preceded the depression
  • Confirmed by Cohen et al
  • Tracked the development of 473 adolescents regularly measuring cognitive vulnerability
  • found that showing cognitive vulnerability predicted later depression

  Shows that there is an association between cognitive vulnerability + depression
• STRENGTH

  • applications in screening and treatment for depression
  • Cohen et al concluded that assessing cognitive vulnerability allows psychologists to screen young people identifying those most at risk of developing depression in the future and monitoring them
  • Understanding cognitive vulnerability can be applied in CBT
  • These therapies work by altering the kind of cognitions that make people vulnerable to depression, making them more resilient to negative life events

  Means that an understanding of cognitive vulnerability is useful in more than one aspect of clinical practice