PSYC 235 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Automatic Negative Thoughts, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Model
Mood Disorders and Suicide II: Podcast
Mood Disorders: The Cognitive Model
● Aaron T. Beck
○ Father of cognitive therapy
○ Initially trained in psychoanalysis
○ Application of the cognitive model to understand and treat depression
○ Noticed that thoughts played an important role in contributing to the
experience of depression
● Introducing the cognitive Model
○ Posits that someone's response to a situation is determined by the way they
think about the situation, which leads to behaviour
○ Our thoughts may influence the way we feel, our behaviour, and physical
reactions we may have - all these influence each other, as well as our
thoughts (key component)
● Hierarchy of Thoughts
○ Automatic Thoughts: occur in immediate situations, pop into our heads right
away. May be neutral (e.g. I’m hungry, etc.). They have negative effects in
depression
○ Underlying Assumptions: unspoken rules we have that help us guide our
everyday behaviour and set our standards/values. Exists if an if-then format.
○ Core Beliefs: reinforced by underlying assumptions, shape our outlook. They
are often equated with schemas. Fundamental beliefs about ourselves,
others, and the world.
○ We all have positive and negative automatic thoughts, underlying
assumptions, and core beliefs. People with depression have more of the
negative aspects of these, and they tend to be stable.
● Negative Triad
○ Beck proposed that in depression people hold negative thoughts and beliefs
about themselves, the world, and the future
● Faulty Thinking
○ All-or-nothing thinking: also known as black-or-white thinking, this refers to
the tendency to think in extremes. Either you are a complete success or a
complete failure.
○ Mind-reading: Believing assumptions that you make about what other people
are thinking, despite not having evidence to prove this is true
○ Labeling: Rather than labeling a behaviour, you attach the label to yourself
○ Jumping to conclusions: draw conclusions about a situation despite
inadequate evidence to support those conclusions
○ Emotional Reasoning: assuming that feelings are facts
● Implications for Treatment
○ Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aims to restructure thoughts as to
subsequently change how people behave and feel
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Document Summary
Application of the cognitive model to understand and treat depression. Noticed that thoughts played an important role in contributing to the experience of depression. Posits that someone"s response to a situation is determined by the way they think about the situation, which leads to behaviour. Our thoughts may influence the way we feel, our behaviour, and physical reactions we may have - all these influence each other, as well as our thoughts (key component) Automatic thoughts: occur in immediate situations, pop into our heads right away. Underlying assumptions: unspoken rules we have that help us guide our everyday behaviour and set our standards/values. Core beliefs: reinforced by underlying assumptions, shape our outlook. Fundamental beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. We all have positive and negative automatic thoughts, underlying assumptions, and core beliefs. People with depression have more of the negative aspects of these, and they tend to be stable.