THEORY
Strengths - Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression:
Beck's Negative Triad:
Ellis's ABC Model:
- Evidence supports the role of the negative and irrational thinking in disorders such as depression, as depressed participants typically think more negatively than non-depressed participants. BOURY et al (2001) used Beck's depression inventory to monitor students' negative thoughts. They found that depressives misinterpret facts and experiences (negatively) and they feel hopeless about the future, providing support for Beck's cognitive explanation.
- Supporting Study = Increased Credibility = More Believable.
- Useful practical applications have been made in response to the cognitive approach to explaining depression, through its development of cognitive behavioural therapies for treating depression. These are typically very effective, which therefore supports the idea that cognition plays a key role in causing depression.
Ellis's ABC Model:
- Useful practical applications have been made in response to the cognitive approach to explaining depression, through its development of cognitive behavioural therapies for treating depression. These are typically very effective, which therefore supports the idea that cognition plays a key role in causing depression.
Limitation - Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression:
Beck's Negative Triad:
Ellis's ABC Model:
- Struggles to determine cause and effect - does negative thinking cause depression, or is it just a symptom of depression? This criticism is resolved and looked into by longitudinal research such as the Temple-Wisconsin Study. This study measured students' thinking styles every few months. They found that 17% of students who scored high on tests of negative thinking went on to become depressed, compared to only 1% of those with low scores. This suggests that negative thinking precedes the onset of depression, so may play a casual role.
- Criticised for blaming the patient for depression, since the focus is on the patients thinking patterns. This may lead to one to overlook other factors that are involved, such as situational factors (EG: life events, family problems etc.), or biological factors (EG: post-natal depression etc.). If these situational or biological problems were resolved, the depressive may no longer think negatively or feel hopeless.
Ellis's ABC Model:
- Assumes that irrational beliefs create depression, but some evidence suggests that people who are depressed are more accurate in their judgements than people who are not depressed (who see the world through (rose-coloured glasses!). Therefore it is not necessarily correct to claim that depression comes from irrational, faulty thinking.
- Criticised for blaming the patient for depression, since the focus is on the patients thinking patterns. This may lead to one to overlook other factors that are involved, such as situational factors (EG: life events, family problems etc.), or biological factors (EG: post-natal depression etc.). If these situational or biological problems were resolved, the depressive may no longer think negatively or feel hopeless.