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Depression - Beck & Alloy (Cognitive)
Thesis: This paper will analyze cognitive etiologies of the disorder depression, in reference to studies
Beck 1976 for negative cognitive triad and Alloy 1999 for negative thinking style.
Key Terminology:
Depression: feelings of severe despondency and dejection
Etiology: the cause, set of causes, or manner of causation of a disease or condition.
Depressogenic schemas are thoughts and beliefs that are both dysfunctional and consistent with
symptoms and or causes of depression
Diathesis-stress model : tries to explain how biology and environment work together on people's minds.
According to this model, people are born with a certain biological or genetic predisposition to a mental
illness.
CBT: Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is an effective type of therapy for numerous conditions such as
depression and anxiety. CBT helps individuals by looking at negative thoughts and behaviour patterns,
and changing those into more helpful coping thoughts and behaviours.
Beck 1976 Cognitive theory of depression (negative cognitive triad)
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According to this theory depression is caused by inaccurate cognitive responses to events in the
form of negative thinking about oneself and the world. People’s conscious thoughts are
influenced by negative cognitive schemas about the self and the world (depressogenic
schemas). This results in negative automatic thoughts and dysfunctional beliefs. This explanation
is contrary to traditional theories about depression where negative thinking is seen as a
symptom of depression and not the cause.

Beck’s theory can be seen within the diathesis-stress model of depression. Depressive thinking
and beliefs (depressogenic schemas) are assumed to develop during childhood and adolescence
as a function of negative experiences with parents or other important people. The
depressogenic schemas constitute a vulnerability (diathesis) stressors (e.g. negative life events
of rejection). Such events tend to produce negative automatic thoughts (cognitive biases) based
on three themes: negative thoughts about the self, the world, and the future (negative cognitive
triad).
Evaluation of Beck’s cognitive theory of depression
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The theory has resulted in a valuable instrument to measure depression (The Beck Depression
Inventory: BDI) and an effective psychological treatment (cognitive behavioural therapy). The
theory has also generated a large amount of research.
The theory effective in describing many characteristics of depression. For example, depressed
individuals are considerably more negative in their thinking than non-depressed individuals.
People who suffer from depression generally think more negatively about themselves and the
world, even when they are not depressed
The limitation of beck’s theory is perhaps that it is difficult to confirm that it is the negative
thinking patterns that cause depression but there has been some empirical support of the causal
aspects of the theory. Lewinshohn et al. (2001) found that negative thinking, dissatisfaction with
oneself and high levels of life stressors preceded episodes of depression. The participants who
started out with high levels of dysfunctional beliefs were more likely to develop major
depression after a stressful life event. This confirms that dysfunctional beliefs (cognitive
vulnerability) may play a role in triggering depression after major stress since participants who
scored low or medium in dysfunctional beliefs did not develop depression after a stressful life
event.
Depression: Alloy (1999): Prospective longitudinal study
Aim: to investigate the thinking style associated with depression (negative thinking style).
Procedure:
The study followed a sample of young Americans in their 20s for 6 years. Their thinking style was tested
and they were placed in either the positive or negative thinking group.
Findings: After 6 years, they found that only 1% of those in the positive thinking group had developed
depression compared to the 17% in the negative thinking group.
Researchers think that identification of negative thinking patterns may eventually help prevent
depression.
Conclusions: It is clear if depression is caused by depressive thinking patterns or if these patterns are
merely the consequence of having depression. If replacing negative cognitive style causes depression,
then replacing negative cognitions with positive thinking patterns could improve the patient's condition.
This is exactly what CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy tries to do).
Evaluation:
Strengths: Insight on cognitive etiology like negative cognitive triad (Beck) and negative thinking style
(Alloy) connected with depression
Weaknesses: Because the participants were chosen as to fit into one of the two groups, they may not be
representational and may have been chosen to fit with the conditions thus eliminating other factors that
may have been obvious in other potential participants. The sample were not representational of a wider
audience.
Bidirectional ambiguity (it is unclear whether depressive thinking patterns or if these patterns are the
consequence of having depression