Cognitive approach explaining depression

• Cognitive approach

  Interested in how patterns of thinking develop
• Schema

  A 'package' of ideas and information developed through experience that acts as a mental framework for interpreting sensory information
• Cognitive vulnerability

  A person's cognitions (thoughts) create this vulnerability to depression
• Beck's cognitive vulnerability to depression

  • Faulty information processing
  • Negative self-schema
  • Negative triad
• Faulty information processing

  • Depressed people attend to negative aspects and ignore positives
  • Tendency towards black and white thinking
• Negative self-schema

  A package of negative information people have about themselves that they use to interpret the world
• Beck's negative triad

  • Negative view of the world
  • Negative view of the future
  • Negative view of the self
• Ellis's ABC model

  • A - Activating event
  • B - Beliefs
  • C - Consequences
• Irrational thoughts

  Thoughts that interfere with being happy and free from pain (not necessarily illogical or unrealistic)
• Ellis's irrational beliefs

  • Musturbation (must always succeed or achieve perfection)
  • Can't-stand-it-itis (belief that it's a major disaster when something doesn't go smoothly)
  • Utopianism (belief that life is always meant to be fair)
• Irrational beliefs are triggered by activating events

  Emotional and behavioural consequences occur