Explaining depression - the cognitive approach

• Beck suggested that some people are more prone to depression because of their faulty information processing (thinking in a flawed way).


  When depressed people attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore positives, they also tend to blow small problems out of proportion and think in 'black and white' terms.
• Depressed people have negative self-schemas

  Since we use schemas to interpret the world, if a person had a negative self-schema they would interpret all information about themselves in a negative way.
• The negative triad

  There are three elements to the negative triad:

  • Negative views of the world
  • Negative view of the future
  • Negative view of the self
• Ellis' ABC model - the activating event (A)


  Ellis suggested that depression arises from irrational thoughts. According to Ellis depression occurs when we experience negative events, e.g. failing a test or ending a relationship.
• Ellis' ABC model - beliefs (B)

  Negative events trigger irrational beliefs, for example:

  • Ellis called the belief that we must always succeed 'musterbation'.
  • 'I-can't-stand-it-itis' is the belief that it is a disaster if things do not go smoothly.
  • 'Utopianism' is the belief that the world must always be fair and just.
• Ellis' ABC model - consequences (C)


  When an activating event triggers irrational beliefs there are emotional and behavioural consequences.

  For example, if you believe you must always succeed and then you fail at something, the consequence is depression.
• Strength of Beck's theory - good supporting evidence


  Grazioli and Terry assessed 65 pregnant women for vulnerability to depression before and after birth. They found that those women judged to have been high in cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post-natal depression. These cognitions can be seen before depression develops, suggesting that Beck may be right about cognition causing depression.
• Strength of Beck's theory - has practical application as a therapy. 


  Beck's cognitive explanation forms the basis of CBT. The components of the negative triad can be easily identified and challenged in CBT. This means a patient can test whether the elements of the negative triad are true. This is a strength because it translates well into a successful therapy.
• Limitation of Ellis' ABC model - it is only a partial explanation of depression.


  There is no doubt that some cases of depression follow activating events. Psychologists call this reactive depression and see it as different from the kind of depression that arises without an obvious cause. This means that Ellis' explanation can only really apply to some kinds of depression.