Cognition And Depression:
A Summary

William C. Sanderson, PhD

There is a considerable amount of interest in the causes of depression. Several biological explanations of depression have recently received a lot of attention. However, research on psychological theories of depression have elucidated cognitive (thinking) processes that predispose individuals to depression. Specifically, cognitive vulnerability-stress theories of depression suggest that particular negative ways of thinking increase individuals' likelihood of developing depression when they experience stressful life events. According to these theories, people who possess specific maladaptive cognitive patterns are vulnerable to depression because they tend to engage in negative information processing about themselves and their experiences when they encounter stressful events. Dr. Aaron T. Beck at the University of Pennsylvania hypothesized that depression-prone people possess negative self-schemata (beliefs), revolving around themes of inadequacy, failure, loss, and worthlessness. Such negative content is represented as a set of dysfunctional attitudes or self-worth contingencies in which the depression- prone person subscribes to maladaptive beliefs (for example, one's happiness and success depends upon being perfect or on other's approval). This negative way of thinking guides ones perception, interpretation, and memory of personally-relevant experiences, with the result being a negatively biased construal of one's personal world, leading to the development of depressive symptoms. For example, the depression-prone individual is more likely to notice and remember situations in which he has failed or does not live up to some personal standard, discount or ignore successful situations, and as a result, develop a negative sense of self, leading to depression.

Drs. Lauren Alloy and Lyn Abramson at Temple University proposed a hopelessness theory of depression, wherein they hypothesize that people who exhibit a depressogenic inferential (thinking) style, in which they characteristically attribute negative life events to stable (enduring) and global (widespread) causes, infer that negative consequences will follow from a current negative event, and infer that the occurrence of a negative event in their lives means that they are fundamentally flawed or worthless, are hypothesized to be vulnerable to developing episodes of depression, in particular "hopelessness depression", when they confront negative life events. This is because individuals who exhibit a depressogenic inferential style should be more likely to generate negative inferences regarding the causes, consequences, and self-implications of stressful events than individuals who do not possess this style, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will develop hopelessness, and in turn, symptoms of hopelessness depression. For example, imagine a woman whose fiance breaks off their engagement. If she attributes the cause of her break-up to her personality flaws, a stable-global cause that will cause many other bad outcomes for her, or if she infers that a consequence of the break-up is that she will never marry or have children, or if she infers that without a lover, she is worthless, she will be likely to become hopeless and develop the symptoms of hopelessness depression. Thus, according to hopelessness theory, this cognitive vulnerability operates to increase risk for depression through its effects on processing or appraisals of personally-relevant life experiences.

In sum, cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, expectations) play a significant role in the development and maintenance of depression. Cognitive therapy focuses on modifying these thought patterns to decrease depression and decrease the risk of future depressive episodes. Numerous research studies have demonstrated that cognitive therapy is as effective as state-of-the-art medications in the treatment of depression.

See Clinical Applications for a detailed review of the evidence supporting the efficacy of cognitive therapy for depression.

Cognitive Therapy Center of Long Island ~ 11 Middle Neck Rd, Suite 312 ~ Great Neck, NY 11021
     Phone:(516) 466-8485           Disclaimer           Email: info@ctcli.com