An Overview of Beck's Cognitive Theory of Depression in Contemporary Literature

This instrument was developed by Aaron T. Beck who is a pioneer cognitive therapist. This instrument is commonly called the BDI and was developed in 1961. It was adapted in 1969 and a copyright was obtained in 1979. In developing the instrument Beck used a series of questions which enabled him to adequately measure the strength severity and complexity of depression. There are two versions of BDI, a long version which has 21 questions mostly used to measure specific symptom common with all patient suffering from depression. The shorter version which is composed of seven questions is meant to be used in a primary healthcare setting, with main purpose to evaluate, and monitor changes in of depression.

“Cognitive therapy first came to the attention of British psychologists and psychiatrists through the pioneering work of the British researchers who sought to evaluate the efficacy of Beck’s treatment for depression.”

Depression is a mood disorder which is categorised by low mood and a wide range of other symptoms, which will inevitably differ depending on the individual. This mental health illness can either progress at a fast rate or steadily. Many scientific and medicinal professionals view depression as a defence mechanism that the body implements in order to escape from stress. Seligman (1973) discussed depression in terms of it being like a ‘common cold’ of psychiatry, due to how frequently it is diagnosed. The behaviourist approach accentuates the significance of the environment in regards to determining an individual’s behaviour. To behaviourist theorists, our behaviour does not relate with our internal unconscious struggles or suppressions. However, psychologists in this field use ideologies of the learning theory to explain human behaviour. According to the behavioural theory, dysfunctional behaviour such as depression is learned and so because of this, psychologists propose that it can also be unlearned. This perspective focuses on behaviour which is observable and the circumstances in which a particular individual has learnt that behaviour. As a result, depression is therefore seen by behaviourist theorists as a result of an individual’s contact with their environment.

Based on a one-group, pre-test/post-test research design, the study targeted college students who were currently an undergraduate or graduate student, enrolled in at least 6-credit hours, at risk for depression, provided informed consent, and fluent in English (Buchanan, 2013). Participants attended group sessions, which focused on modifying risk factors (Buchanan, 2013). Group sessions lasted for 60 to 90 minutes and were scheduled once a week for four consecutive weeks (Buchanan, 2013). From a total of 17 recruitments, five students failed to complete the study, leaving only 12 participants to be included in data analysis (Buchanan, 2013). The outcomes of the study, depressive symptoms, negative thinking, and self-esteem, were measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Crandell Cognitions Inventory (CCI), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), respectively (RSES) (Buchanan, 2013).

Some of the items can be answered briefly. However, most require a lengthier response, using the principles and considerations in evaluating tests that have been discussed in your text and in class.

Automatic thoughts can be neutral, positive, or negative. We all have our own automatic thoughts as we move through our day-to-day lives and interact with others. In regards to individuals with psychological disorders, the cognitive model looks at how negative thoughts influence the individual’s feelings and behaviors (Beck, 1995). From a CBT lens, it is the negative automatic thoughts that an individual has that perpetuate symptoms of psychological disorders, the occurrence of negative mood, uncomfortable physiological responses, and maladaptive or inappropriate behaviors (Beck, 1995). While we all have moments of experiencing negative automatic thoughts, for those with psychological disorders, and more pervasive difficulties in living, negative thoughts are often experienced in situations that are neutral, producing negative feelings that lead to maladaptive behaviors or responses that would not

Eric Beck was a 32-year-old single Caucasian man when he arrived at the psychiatric hospital. At the time, Eric was living with his parents and working part-time as a night watchman for a large professional building in the city. Although he had worked as a stockbroker and trained as a paralegal, Eric had been underemployed for several years.

The philosophy of cognitive behavioral therapy is that “think and feeling are connected people are creative (Halbur & Halbur, 2015, p.47)”. The key aspects of theory are to challenge the irrational beliefs that we hold about ourselves. Aaron Beck the primary founder of cognitive behavior theory assumed that people can control how they feel and what they think. He believed that our inner thoughts and beliefs affected how we are affected on the outside. One of the key concepts is that the client’s dysfunctional thinking can be derived from an erroneous internal process or bias.

As it is well known, most people experience some kind of depression in their lives. Depression sometimes makes our lives unbearable and, we need treatment. We need the help of psychologist’s. With the help of them, we try to learn the reasons of our depression and we acquire the explanations to find out possible and necessary treatments. In psychology, there are different schools to consult. In this paper, depression is explained by the help of Cognitive Theory.

People of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life have felt depressed and unhappy at some time in their lives. These periods of sadness usually pass after a short time, but for some people, this feeling can remain for weeks, months, and even years. (1) This prolonged state of unhappiness is called major (or clinical) depression and is characterized by a persistent sad or "empty" mood, loss of interest in favorite activities, difficulty concentrating, and many other symptoms. It is not simply a mental state but an illness that interferes with the way people feel, function, and think.(2)

Aaron Beck is an American psychiatrist and a professor emeritus in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania (GoodTheraoy.org). Beck has had an interest in the changes of human nature goes as far back as he can remember. Beck is known as a trailblazer in the psychology world because he focused on disoriented thoughts that lead to problematic behaviors such as depression. “Beck struggled to find a way to help his depressed client’s better capture their emotions. He realized that many of his depressed clients experienced recurring negative thoughts and that as long as they believed these thoughts to be true, they would continue to have symptoms of depression”(GoodTherapy.org). Beck spent much of his career at the University of Pennsylvania and advocated for the application of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of depression and other mood problems (GoodTherapy.org).

From this realization, he created an intervention geared towards altering individuals’ negative self-concepts and challenging their way of thinking. Beck’s cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the cognitive model theory (Heffner, n.d.). The cognitive model holds the premise that our thoughts are responsible for how we behave. So, flawed thinking is at the root of all mental disorders. Beck used cognitive model to understand that a change in the mental process can treat depression (Beck, 2005). Although Beck’s cognitive therapy intervention started off as a treatment for depression; it has been modified and adapted to fit the needs of many different mental and psychical illnesses.

are happy when they achieve something or saddened when they fail a test or lose

Aaron Beck developed the cognitive therapy concept in the 1960s. Beck was very ill as a child and perceive his mother to be depressed and unpredictable due to losing two children in their infancy due to illness. Beck graduated from Brown University and Yale Medical School. According to Beck’s daughter Judith, cognitive therapy is based on the ideas of the stoic philosophers in Greece and Rome (Seligman et al, 2014, p. 294) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy was founded by Donald Meichenbaum, a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. While he was working on his dissertation for his doctoral degree, he noticed that people with schizophrenia who were taught healthy self-talk fared better in other measures than those with schizophrenia who were not talk about healthy self talk.

Depression is one of the common and severe major depressive disorder that affects the way of feeling, thinking and behaving. Depression can lead to a range of emotional and physical difficulties which may result in a person’s capability to function at work and home because of the feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. However, between 80 percent and 90 percent of people gain some relief from their depression symptoms after treatment. Therefore, depression is among the most treatable mental disorders. The development and maintenance of depression can be explained by the critical cognitive theories from Beck’s cognitive model of depression (1976). Furthermore, one of the most effective methods for treating depression has been created by this model. The central constructs within Beck’s model (1976) are schemas, negative, dysfunctional attitudes, cognitive distortions, the cognitive triad, and