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Summary The cognitive approach to explaining depression.

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Comprehensive study notes on AQA Psychology topic of the cognitive approach to explaining depression. Can easily be turned into flashcards for effective revision. Includes practice questions at the end of the document.

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  • No
  • Psychopathology
  • September 1, 2021
  • 5
  • 2021/2022
  • Summary
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The behavioural approach to explaining depression
Becks cognitive theory of depression
- American psychiatrist Aaron Beck (1967) suggested a cognitive approach
to explaining why some people are more vulnerable to depression than
others.
- In particular it is a person’s cognitions that create this vulnerability, i.e.
the way they think.
- Beck suggested three parts to this cognitive vulnerability.

Faulty information processing

- When depressed, the individual would attend to the negative aspects of a
situation and ignore the positives.
- The sufferer would also tend to blow small problems out of proportion and
think in ‘black and white’ terms.
Negative self-schemas

- A schema is a ‘package’ of ideas and information developed through
experience.
- They act as a mental framework for the interpretation of sensory
information.
- A self-schema is the package of information we have about ourselves.
- We use schemas to interpret the world.
→ If we have a negative self-schema, we interpret all information
about ourselves in a negative way.
The negative triad

- A person develops a dysfunctional view of themselves because of three
types of negative thinking that occur automatically, regardless of the
reality of what is happening at the time.
- These three elements are called the negative triad.
- When we are depressed, negative thoughts about the world, the future
and oneself often come to us.
→ Negative view of the world
→ An example would be ‘the world is a cold hard place’.
→ This created the impression that there is no hope anywhere.
→ Negative view of the future
→ An example would be ‘there isn’t much chance that the
economy will really get better’.
→ Such thoughts reduce any hopefulness and enhance
depression.
→ Negative view of the self
→ For example, thinking ‘I am a failure’.
→ Such thoughts enhance any existing depressive feelings
because they confirm the existing emotions of low self-
esteem.

, Evaluation
It has good supporting evidence

- A range of evidence supports the idea that depression is associated with
faulty information processing, negative self-schemas and the cognitive
triad of negative automatic thinking.
- For example, Grazioli and Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women for
cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth.
→ They found that those women judged to have been in high cognitive
vulnerability were more likely to suffer post-natal depression.
- Clark and Beck (1999) reviewed research on this topic and concluded that
there was solid support for all these cognitive vulnerability factors.
- Critically, these cognitions can be seen before depression develops,
suggesting that Beck may be right about cognition causing depression, at
least in some cases.
It has a practical application in CBT

- A further strength of Beck’s cognitive explanation is that it forms the basis
of a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).
- All cognitive aspects of depression can be identified and challenged in
CBT.
→ These include components of the negative triad that are easily
identifiable.
→ This means that a therapist can challenge them and encourage the
patient to test whether they are true
→ This is a strength of the explanation because it translated
well into successful therapy.
It doesn’t explain all aspects of depression

- Beck’s theory neatly explains the basic symptoms of depression; however,
depression is complex.
- Some depressed patients are deeply angry, and Beck cannot easily
explain this extreme emotion.
- Some sufferers of depression suffer from hallucinations and bizarre beliefs.
- Very occasionally depressed patients suffer from Cotard Syndrome, the
delusion that they are zombies (Jarrett, 2013).
- Beck’s theory cannot easily explain these cases.

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