The cognitive approach views abnormalities as the result of errors in thinking between a stimulus and response. It was influenced by behaviorism and focuses on distortions in thinking processes. Cognitive biases like minimization and cognitive therapies like CBT aim to modify irrational thoughts. Studies show CBT can effectively treat disorders like depression by challenging negative thinking patterns, though it may overlook biological factors and not work for all disorders.

1. Cognitive Approach

2. Main Ideas
Abnormalities are
the result of
Thinking between
stimulus and response errors in
thinking

3. Cognitive Approach contd...
• Errors in thinking
• Heavily influenced by the behavioural
approach
• Thinking between the stimulus and the
response
• Mental disorders are linked directly to
distortions in the thinking process

4. Cognitive Explanations
1.Cognitive Bias
Negative automatic thoughts (NAT’s)
2. Negative Triad
Negative views of self, world and
future

5. E.g. of Cognitive Bias
Minimisation
• Minimising successes – e.g. Good exam grade was luck
Maximisation
• Maximising trivial failures – e.g. Failing at Sudoku puzzle
Selective Abstraction
• Focussing on negative aspects of life, ignoring wider picture
All or Nothing thinking
• Black and white thinking (ignoring middle ground) e.g. Success OR failure

6. Negative Triad
Beck’s model of depression
3 main forms of negative thinking
“I am worthless” Self
World Future
“Everything is “Nothing will
against me” ever change”

7. How would the cognitive approach
investigate abnormality?
Experiments
Assumptions of the cognitive approach
are often tested experimentally
If a cognitive therapy works it suggests that the cause
was cognitive
Thase et al (2007) compared cognitive therapies with
antidepressants (the IV) and measured the effectiveness of
each in treating depression (the DV)
Evidence like this has provided a huge amount of support for
the cognitive approach

8. Effectiveness of therapies
E.g. CBT has been found to be as
effective as prozac in treating
depression
This is positive because it shows that
changing thinking can work so there
must be a cognitive element to the
disorder.

9. Support for the negative triad
For example, Beck compared people
with depression to those without,
depressed individuals are more
negative in terms of themselves,
world and the future
Positive as it suggests that the negative
triad is an accurate illustration of
depressed thinking

10. Blames the patient
For example, the approach
considers the individuals
disorder to be caused by their
faulty thinking
This is problematic as situational
factors are overlooked and it might not
be beneficial to place blame on a person
prone to negative thoughts & depression.

11. Cause and Effect?
For example, do NAT’s cause depression
or does the depression cause the NAT’s?
This is problematic because it’s hard to
determine cause & effect and raises the
question over the best way to treat the
patient

12. Key terms / Buzz words
Cause and Experiments Errors in
Effect Behavioural thinking
All or Nothing
approach Minimisation
Cognitive Bias Maximisation
NAT’s Selective
Therapies are abstraction
Negative effective
Support for
triad World negative
Self
triad Cog therapy
Thase et al
Future Vs. drugs
(2007) Blame patient

13. Cognitive
Therapies/Treatments
• Rational-Emotive Behavioural Therapy

14. Quick recap of the cognitive
approach – what can you remember?
Errors in thinking
stimulus and response
Cognitive Bias –
Minimisation, maximisation, all or nothing, selective
abstraction
Negative Triad –
Negative thinking of self, world and future
Investigated using experiments (comparing
cognitive therapies with other therapies)

15. If the cognitive approach believes that all
abnormalities are the result of errors in thinking
between a stimulus and response – what
treatments do you think the approach would use
to treat disorders?
(Or, what would the treatments focus on ?)
Modifying thinking!!!

16. CBT –
how it works
Used for depression and some anxiety disorders
• Aims to challenge irrational/maladaptive thoughts
• Replace irrational thoughts with rational ones
• Becks - Cognitive Therapy
• Ellis’ – Rational-Emotive Behavioural Therapy
Ellis’ REBT is based on the idea that problems are the
result of irrational thinking
Incorporates the ABC model to demonstrate that
beliefs are the main influence behind emotional well-
being

17. ABC model – before REBT
A B C
• Activating • Beliefs • Consequences
Event
Ellis believes that activating events in an individual’s life
have consequences such as feelings and actions.
However, these consequences are affected by beliefs
about these events
A B C
• Failing a • I am never • State of
driving test going to pass anxiety (even
depression)

18. REBT –
how it works
•Ellis believes that irrational and self-defecting
thoughts should be challenged
•The therapy is focussed on designing a new
beliefs system – allowing the individual to
interpret situations in a more realistic and
positive way
D
B
It was my first test,
I am never going to pass this
lots of people fail,
test
I’ll be ok in the end

19. ABC model – after REBT
A B C
• Activating • Beliefs • Consequences
Event
Ellis believes that activating events in an individual’s life
have consequences such as feelings and actions.
However, these consequences are affected by beliefs
about these events
A B C
• Failing a • It was my • State of
driving test first test, anxiety (even
lots of people depression)
fail – it will

20. REBT – how it works
The first part of the therapy is confrontational – with the aim of the
therapist persuading the client that their beliefs are irrational and
the cause of their emotional turmoil
The clients beliefs are constantly challenged (cognitive element)
The client is given homework to make them face up to their
irrational beliefs in everyday life to ultimately change their
behaviour (behavioural element)
The eventual goal is full acceptance of the new, rational beliefs

21. REBT – how it works
E.G – someone with OCD who has to
turn a light switch on and off 30
times before leaving a room because
they fear something awful will happen
to them if they don’t. The person is
taught to challenge this belief and
then change their behaviour to match
their new belief

22. Examples of typical irrational
thoughts
I must always
I must be loved by
be excellent as
everyone
everything
Irrational thoughts
such as these can
cause emotional I must always be
problems such as happy
depression/anxiety
I am competent at
everything I do

23. CBT– is it any good as a
treatment?
Yes and no…
+ Engels et al (1993) found that CBT
is effective in some cases
- CBT isn’t effective for all
disorders
- Ignores the idea that some
disorders may be due to biological
factors

24. CBT is effective
For example, Engels et al (1993) conducted meta-analysis and
concluded that CBT is effective for a range of different
disorders e.g. OCD
This is positive because it suggests that CBT can be useful
to more people than many other treatments, especially as it
doesn’t involve the use of drugs

25. CBT isn’t effective for all
disorders
For example, it’s not effective in treating disorders such as
schizophrenia – where anti-psychotics would be preferable
This means that CBT isn’t always the best therapy for
everyone and the needs of the client need to be
considered

26. CBT doesn’t acknowledge that biology
could play a part in disorders
For example, according to the biological approach
depression is caused by low levels of serotonin
This is problematic as it ignores the role the biology
could play in certain disorders and means that CBT will
not work for all clients