Psychological Explanations of Depression

1. Sociocultural 1 ½ RULE Cognitive Psychodynamic Psychological Explanations ofDepression Aim: Can I outline TWO psychological explanations for depression? Can I evaluate TWO psychological explanations for depression?

2. Although biological explanations for depression have attracted the most research support in recent years, psychological explanations have also been influential. • Possibly, some factors cause the development of depression whereas others maintain it. • Possibly, two or more factors are needed for the development of depression. • For example, someone may have low levels of serotonin, feel helpless and blame themselves for the negative events that happen to them. (Comer, 2003)

3. Freud’s psychodynamic explanation • Mourning = natural grieving period after loss • Melancholia = a pathological illness (depression) when grief does not end • Depression = anger turned against oneself • unconsciously harbouring negative feelings towards loved ones • resent being deserted by them • normal to grieve, recall memories • abnormal to continue pattern of self abuse and self blame

4. Cognitive – Beck’s theory of depression • Beck’s theory of depression (1975) = negative schema: a tendency to adopt a negative view of the world during childhood due to e.g. rejection or criticisms by teachers, peers or parents • Activated whenever they encounter a new situation that resembles the original • Based on cognitive biases in thinking such as over-generalisation (sweeping conclusions of self worth based on small piece of negative feedback) • Negative triad = pessimistic view of self, the world and the future

5. Cognitive – learned helplessness (Siligman, 1975) • D learned when person tries and fails to control unpleasant experiences • = sense of loss on control = depression • Results in failure to initiate coping strategies in the face of stress and circumstances that CAN be controlled • D think about unpleasant events in a more pessimistic way = hold themselves responsible • ‘reformulated helplessness theory’ (Abrahamson et al, 1978) = cause of unpleasant events are: 1. internal 2. stable 3. global depressive attributional style

6. Cognitive - hopelessness (Abrahamson et al, 1989) • Depression based on pessimistic expectations of the future • Expects bad rather than good things to happen to them in the important areas in their lives and • believe they don’t have resources to change the situation

7. Evaluation • Successful therapies: meta-analysis of Beck’s cognitive therapy concluded 80% benefited • More effective than drug therapy • Lower relapse rate • Predictions of Beck’s theory are supported = depressed participants in studies who were given negative automatic thought statements became more depressed BUT does this prove cause and effect?? • Seligman’s research on animals supported by human studies: college students exposed to uncontrollable aversive events were more likely to fail on cognitive tasks + other studies found that depressed college students performed worse of all on similar task • Hopelessness model supported by research: participants assessed weekly with higher negative attributional style showed more symptoms of depression when stressed • Negative attributional style might be more common in women because they are taught to think more negatively about themselves and this may help explain why more women suffer from depression • Women 20% more likely to suffer from depression – younger and longer and more related to stressful life events • Men might simply develop different disorders in response to stress: antisocial behaviour and alcohol abuse • Gender differences also in response to stress: women – focus on negative emotions + seek professional help. Men – use distractions like alcohol

8. Major Life Event Study • Brown and Harris (1978) • Episodes of depression almost always preceded by a major life event • Study of depressed women in Camberwell, London • 2 circumstances influence a person’s vulnerability to severe life events: * long term difficulties (marital problems) * vulnerability factors (3+ children under 14, not working outside home or lack of close relationship) • sample only women and British • women rely more on social support and thus more affected by loss • Stress Depression Depression Stress