Download - Cognitive Approach to Psycho Pathology
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COGNITIVE APPROACH TO
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Understand how the cognitive approach explains mental illness in terms
of beliefs, thoughts and perceptions
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Learning objectives
By the end of the lesson youll be able to:
Describe and explain the principles andassumptions of the cognitive approach, andhow it explains psychopathology.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses ofthese explanations.
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The approaches to psychopathology
1. On your own, think whatthe principles andassumptions are for theprevious 3 approaches to
psychopathology.
2. Turn to the other personin your pair and see what
they came up with.
3. Share these with the restof the class.
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Mental illness is due to cognitive processes (beliefs, thoughts, perceptions)
Cognitive approach
Schemata:
Organised systems of knowledgewe use to understand and
interpret the world
Negative automatic thoughts:Automatically thinking the worst
in every situation
Negative schematacan lead to:
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Features of the cognitive
approach Cognitive biases:
(different types ofnegative automatic
thoughts)
Becks negative triad
Musturbatory beliefs
Ellis ABC model
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Activity
In your groups, readthe materials youvebeen given and discuss
this to make sure youunderstand it.
You then have 10
minutes to prepare toteach this to the rest ofthe class.
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Cognitive bias Explanation
Minimisation Bias towards minimizing success in
life, e.g. excellent exam results due to
luck or easy paper.
Maximisation Bias towards maximising importance
of failures (even small ones), e.g. not
completing cryptic crossword means
youre stupid.
Selective abstraction Bias towards focusing on only the
negative aspects of life and ignoring
wider picture
All or nothing thinking Tendency to see things as one or the
other, e.g. a success or a failure, not
good/bad at different things.
Examples of cognitive biases that may be used by depressed people
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Negative views about the world
everyone is against me becauseIm worthless
Negative views about yourself
Im worthless and inadequate
Negative views about the future
Ill never be good at anything
Becks (1967) cognitive triad model of depression
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I absolutely MUST, under practically all
conditions and at all times, perform well and
win the approval of others. If I fail in these
important respects, that is awful and I am a
bad, incompetent, unworthy person, who willprobably always fail and deserves to suffer
Feelings of anxiety, panic,
depression, despair,
worthlessness.
"Other people MUST treat me nicely,
considerately and fairly. Otherwise, it is terribleand they are rotten, bad, unworthy people who
will always treat me badly and do not deserve
a good life and should be severely punished for
acting so abominably to me."
Feelings of anger, rage,fury and vindictiveness
"The conditions under which I live MUST be
favourable, safe, hassle-free, and quickly and
easily enjoyable, and if they are not that way
it's awful and horrible and I can't bear it. I can't
ever enjoy myself at all. My life is impossible
and hardly worth living."
Feelings of frustration,
discomfort, intolerance,
anger, depression
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AActivating
event
BBeliefs about
this event
CConsequencesof these beliefs
Ellis ABC model:
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Mary tells herself that although it is a sadsituation they were not compatible and
she may learn from the experience
Mary feels sad, but hopeful that she willhave successful future relationships
Mary looks forward to forming newhealthy relationships and tries to learn
from the experience
Desirable behaviour
Desirable emotions
Rational thoughts
Mary tells herself that the break up is herfault and that she is not loveable, and so
will fail at future relationships
Mary feels guilty that she spoilt therelationship and that she is unlovable
Mary resolves not to form newrelationships as she will only fail and get
hurt again
Undesirable behaviour
Undesirable emotions
Irrational thoughts
A: Activating event
Mary and her boyfriend split up
B: Beliefs
about A
C: Consequences of B
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Evaluation
Sometimes negativebeliefs might actuallybe an accurate
reflection of reality.
Depressive realismnot irrational or
maladapative, justrelavant to the lifecircumstances of theindividual.