Cognitive Explanation for Depression

The cognitive explanation for depression lays blame for depression on the thoughts, attitudes and beliefs that a person has. Instead of viewing negative thoughts simply as the result of depression, Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis and other cognitive theorists argue that depression results from negative beliefs about the self, the future and the world.

History

• Psychologist Albert Ellis published descriptions of "rational emotive behavior therapy" in the mid-1950s and became a founding father of a revolution in psychotherapy. He considered depression, anxiety and other negative emotions to be the result of irrational, self-destructive beliefs. Aaron Beck, influenced by Albert Ellis, further fueled the revolution by developing his cognitive-behavioral theory of depression and psychotherapy.

Irrational Ideas and Beliefs

• Albert Ellis believed that illogical, irrational beliefs based on false assumptions fuel many psychological problems. Depressed people suffer from having too many irrational beliefs that create negative emotional responses. For example, a depressed person may feel sadness in a situation where they perceive somebody dislikes them. However, this sadness is based on the false assumption that a person's worth is determined by whether or not they are universally liked.

Automatic Thoughts

• Automatic thoughts are spontaneous, repetitive, mental thoughts and images that we have throughout the day in response to things that happen to us. If these automatic thoughts tend to be negative, then negative moods and depression result.

Self-Evaluation

• We are constantly evaluating ourselves. When self-evaluations are disproportionately negative, they contribute to the self-perpetuating cycle of self-demeaning thoughts and negative effects.

Catastrophizing

• Catastrophizing refers to the tendency to anticipate the worst-case scenario. Depressed people expect the worst from the future. Once the possible dire consequences are imagined, mood is affected, even on those many occasions when the feared results never happen.

Cognitive Distortions

• Cognitive theories posit that depressed people tend to distort their perception and recollection of events. Depressed people focus on the negative aspects of situations. This negative bias deepens and maintains their depression.