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| Question | Answer |
| cognitive approach to pyschopathology | -abnormality is a result of faulty cognition (thinking) -its the way that you think about the problem, rather than the problem itself, that is the cause of the disorder. -mental disorders can be overcome by learning to use more appropriate ways of thinking -the aim is to think positively and rationally. |
| key assumption | abnormality is caused by faulty thinking; in this model, it is the individual who is in control of their own behaviour. |
| the cognitive approach | -it suggests that abnormality results from faulty mental processes. -what we think can therefore affect our behaviour and negative thoughts and thinking can in turn then lead to negative (maladaptive) behaviour. |
| maladaptive behaviours | -inhibit a person's ability to adjust to particular situations. -this type of behaviour is often used to reduce one's anxiety, but the result is dysfunctional and non-productive. -e.g.- avoiding situations because you have unrealistic fears may initially reduce the anxiety, but it is non-productive in alleviating the actual problem in the long term and the lead to mental illness such as anxiety disorders and depression. |
| key assumptions | 1. schemata DESCRIPTION- Schemata (schemas) are a mental structure that represents some aspect of the world. Human behaviour is heavily influenced by schemata as they relate to how we see ourselves. For instance, 'I am a confident person' 'I am good at relationships', I am generally a happy person'. LINK TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (MENTAL ILLNESS)- negative schemata such as 'I am not good at relationships', 'I can't pass this test' can lead to negative thought processes and maladaptive behaviour. This could then lead to anxiety and depression as we believe that we cannot achieve or cope with requirements placed upon us. |
| Two prominent theorists: | 1. Ellis- focused on irrational thinking. 2. Beck- who focused on cognitive errors. |
| theorists- cognitive approach | -the cognitive approach believes that abnormality stems from faulty cognitions about others, our world and us. -this faulty thinking may be through cognitive deficiencies (lack of planning) or cognitive distortions (processing info inaccurately). -these cognitions cause distortions in the way we see things; Ellis suggested it is through irrational thinking, while Beck proposed the cognitive triad. |
| irrational thinking | Ellis states that the way we behave depends on how we think about something. For the most part, people are content and functional because most of their thinking and behaviour is rational, but we are also all capable of irrational thinking. -ellis felt that problems can arise when this becomes automatic and habitual, leading to dysfunctional changes in behaviour that make the person's life, or the lives of those around them, difficult. |
| types of irrational thinking | TYPE- polarized thinking DESCRIPTION- seeing everything in extreme terms, as either 'black or white'. EXAMPLE- 'he doesn't like me, so i must be a terrible person' TYPE- over generalisation DESCRIPTION- drawing sweeping conclusions based on a single event EXAMPLE- 'he doesn't like me, so no one else does either' |
| Ellis: abnormality is caused by faulty thinking; A-B-C Model | -the cognitive model assumes that thinking, expectations and attitudes (i.e. cognitions) direct behaviour. -mental illness, therefore, is the result of inappropriate, i.e. disordered thinking. -the focus is not on the problem itself but the way a person thinks about it. -faulty and irrational thinking prevent the individual behaving adaptively. -Ellis (1962) referred to this A-B-C model |
| A | refers to Activating event- e.g. the sight of a large dog. |
| B | is the Belief- e.g. irrational belief- the dog is going to attack me |
| C | is the Consequence- irrational beliefs lead to unhealthy emotions e.g. fear or panic |
| the ABC model | -claims that disorders begin with an activating event (A) e.g. a failed exam, leading to the belief (B) about why this happened. -this may be rational e.g. i did not prepare well enough or irrational e.g. i am too stupid to pass exams. -the beliefs lead to a consequence (C). -rational beliefs produce adaptive (appropriate) consequences- e.g. more revision. -irrational beliefs produce maladaptive (bad and inappropriate) consequences - e.g. getting depressed. |
| Beck; the cognitive triad | Aaron Beck (1963) developed the cognitive triad. -depression is caused by a tendency to interpret everyday events in negative ways. -the triad is based on 3 main negative ways of thinking. |
| 1. Negative views about themselves | 'I am a worthless person' 'I am incompetent and undeserving' |
| 2. Negative views about the future | 'Everything is bound to get worse' 'problems will not get disappear, there will always be emotional pain' |
| 3. Negative views about the world | 'All the problems of the world cannot be fixed' 'It is a hostile place' |
| cognitive triad cont.... | -the cognitive triad consists of 3 kinds of cognitive bias that depressed people tend not to adopt. -these are negative thoughts about the world, themselves and their future. -these biases interrelate and tend to perpetuate (stay depressive); e.g., the individual might see the world as a generally hostile place in which they struggle to feel comfortable and which they will never be able to change. |
| A02 point | in each of the previous models the view was that an individuals behaviour is caused by forces outside of their own control- physiological, genetic, unconscious or environmental factors. -by contrast the cognitive model portrays the individual as being the cause of their own behaviour because the individual controls their own thoughts. -abnormality, therefore, is the product of faulty control. |
| evaluation of the cognitive approach - strengths | -there is research evidence for cognitive biases and maladaptive thinking in disorders such as depression and anxiety. e.g. when asked to recall a list of words, depressed participants recall more negative words than non-depressed participants (Burt et al 1995). -treatments based on the cognitive approach (cognitive-behavioural therapy) can be very effective for disorders such as anxiety and depression. -this give some support to the approach. |
| evaluation of the cognitive approach- weaknesses | the cognitive approach ignores biological and genetic factors in psychopathology. but not reductionist as it takes a complex view of psychological disorders. |
| treating abnormality: psychological therapies: cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) | -CBT combines elements of the cognitive and behavioural approaches for treating psychopathology. -it works on the idea that our cognitions, or thought processes shape the way we feel and this affects how we behave. -while we are all capable of constructing the world in faulty ways, if this becomes habitually irrational or negative it may eventually lead to psychopathological conditions such as anxiety or depression and the associated dysfunctional behaviour. |
| treating abnormality: psychological therapies: cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) | -the cognitive and behavioural approaches are combined in CBT. -the cognitive aspect of this therapy focuses on modifying faulty thinking, with the behavioural aspect focusing on modifying the behaviour arising from these inappropriate thought processes. -it has been used to help many disorders, in particular depression and anxiety. |
| the aim of CBT | - the aim of this therapy is to identify faulty thinking and to help the client find alternative ways of thinking. -this should also lead to behaviour change. -CBT aim to challenge and alter these irrational thoughts. |
| The techniques used in CBT include: | >challenging the clients' thoughts and asking them to prove the accuracy of their beliefs. >self-instruction or self-talking (e.g. 'though-stopping') >teaching the client ways of acquiring coping strategies (the behavioural element of the therapy). |
| Beck (1976) | -believed that depression is caused by negative schemata maintained by cognitive biases and pessimistic thoughts about self, the world and the future. Beck's therapy aims to challenge these irrational thoughts/cognitions and replace them with more realistic and optimistic thoughts/appraisals. |
| example of Beck's cognitive therapy | -the therapist helps the client to identify key negative thoughts such as 'i have always been bad at relationships'. Dairy keeping is an important part of this stage- keeping a record of their thoughts and anxieties. -using this material the therapist challenges these negative thoughts by identifying examples, however trivial, that contradict the client's own pessimistic views. This is a form of reality testing, a key component of all cognitive behavioural therapies. -behavioural techniques are used to encourage more positive behaviour. Small goals are set, such as talking casually to at least one new person a day. These minor achievements help a depressed person to develop a sense of personal effectiveness. e.g. severe depression the person may find it difficult to do anything at all. beck would encourage them to set a list of small goals to be achieved. -beck argued that therapy should involve more than simply changing dysfunctional thoughts and replacing with more appropriate and positive ones. He emphasized the used of hwk assignments requiring clients to behave in certain ways they found hard. e.g. a client suffering from social anxiety might be told to initiate a convo with everyone in his/her office over the following few days. -another aspect of cognitive therapy can be training in problem solving skills, if there are particular situations that trigger negative thoughts. -the focus of the therapy is very much on cognitive restructuring and behavioural change. |
| key parts of beck's therapy | >The therapist helps the client to identify negative thoughts. >The client may need to keep a diary to do this >The therapist then needs to change these unwanted thoughts, feelings and behaviours. >One way to do this is to replace them with more positive ways of thinking. >The therapist also needs to change the clients behaviour. >They will be given small tasks to do as homework. >Completing these should improve self esteem. >Clients may be taught relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety in stressful situations. >They may also be taught problem solving skills. |
| evaluation of the cognitive behavioural therapy- strengths | -CBT has been shown to be as effective as drug therapy for treating depression and anxiety. there is also evidence that the improvement may last longer. -CBT assumes that the cause of the depression, for example lies in maladaptive thoughts, so is targeting the causes of abnormality and not just the symptoms. -ethically CBT avoids the in-depth probing associated with psychoanalysis. |
| evaluation of the cognitive behavioural therapy- weaknesses | - although effective for depression and anxiety disorders, CBT is less effective for phobias than SD and severe disorders such as schizophrenia are not suited to CBT. - the cognitive approach ignores genetic and biological factors in abnormality. -some people may find the diary keeping and self-monitoring associated with CBT stressful. -the emphasis of CBT is on cognitive change and restructuring, and behavioural change without cognitive change is unlikely to help the depressed person. -cognitive model sees the patient as responsible for their psychological disorder, which may lead one to overlook social factors i.e., family problems or life events. consequently, attention may be drawn away from the need to improve social conditions that may have a significant effect on the quality of their life. |
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