This document contains revision notes for the cognitive approach to treating depression for the psychopathology topic in paper 1 of psychology AQA A level. All content follows the AQA specification.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
● Cognitive treatments are based on the assumption that faulty thinking makes a
person vulnerable to depression.
● A common treatment for depression. Used for other mental disorders e.g. anxiety.
Triad Cycle: THOUGHTS > EMOTIONS > BEHAVIOUR
INITIAL ASSESSMENT AND GOAL SETTING
● First step helps identify goals of the therapy and create a plan to achieve them.
● CBT identifies negative thoughts that will benefit from being challenged.
● Involves trying to change negative thoughts and put effective behaviours into place.
BECK’S COGNITIVE THEORY (TRIAD)
● The therapist helps the patient identify negative thoughts in relation to themselves,
their world and their future.
● Beck’s cognitive triad is used to test the reality of their negative beliefs.
● The patient and therapist work together to challenge these irrational thoughts, by
discussing evidence for and against them.
● The patient is encouraged to test the validity of their negative thoughts and be set
homework, to challenge and test their negative thoughts.
● Patients must test out the reality of their negative thoughts.
● Therapists use the patient's experience as evidence to disprove negative thoughts.
ELLIS’ RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (REBT)
ABCDE model D - dispute E - Effect
Challenges irrational beliefs to break the link between negative life events and depression.
The argument is the hallmark of REBT.
● Empirical argument: disputing if there is evidence to support a negative belief.
● Logical argument: disputing if the negative thought logically follows the facts.
LIMITATION: Success May Be Due To The Therapist-Patient Relationship
P: Rozenweig: differences between different methods of psychotherapy, i.e CBT and SD
might be small.
E: The quality of the relationship may determine success and not a particular technique.
J: Shows having someone who will listen could be what matters.
LIMITATION: Overemphasis on Cognition
P: Only considering cognitive aspects are reductionist.
E: Doesn't consider alternative explanations. i.e. biological explanations like genetics or
chemical imbalances in the brain would give a more holistic understanding of the disorder.
J: Reductionist.
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