Paper 1C assessment

Each question will contain one concept, and one area of study and possibly the related learning objective, from one context. The context for this question is health and wellbeing, with an area of study and learning objective from the mental health disorder category. The key terms are in bold.

Discuss perspective with regard to one cognitive model for one psychological disorder.

The teacher marking comments for this response can be found here:  student access pages (new guide) > review/revision> Paper 1 writing samples> Health and wellbeing. It is a top-band answer, and hopefully the list under it and the coloring of the psychological terminology will help you to see where the marks have been awarded.  I think this might be a useful exercise for your students to do after they have drafted their essay and before they finalize it.

Discuss perspective with regard to one cognitive model for one psychological disorder.

The cognitive perspective argues that our thoughts influence how we feel and behave. One cognitive model is Aaron Beck’s theory of depression. Beck believed that depression is not just caused by life events or biology, but by the way people think.  He posits that negative or irrational thinking may be the root of depression.

Beck argued that people with depression have automatic negative thoughts. These thoughts are based on schemas and beliefs that often start in childhood. For example, someone who was constantly criticized growing up might develop a schema that says, “I’m not good enough.” This belief can be triggered by stressful situations, leading the person to automatically think things like “I always fail” or “No one likes me.”

Beck proposed the cognitive triad. The triad is made up of negative thoughts about the self, the world, and the future. A person might think, “I’m useless” (self), “The world is unfair” (world), and “Things will never get better” (future). These thoughts create a cycle that can make depression worse over time. Beck argued that how we interpret events is more important than the events themselves. Two people can go through the same situation, but one may become depressed because of the way they think about it.

Unlike the biological perspective which argues for biological determinism or the sociocultural perspective which argues that environment determines our behavior, the cognitive perspective believes in “soft determinism,” that is, that we can change our behavior by changing our thinking. For example, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is based on Beck’s model of depression. This therapy helps people identify their negative thinking patterns and then challenge them through a process called validity testing. If someone thinks “I always mess everything up,” the therapist would test the validity of that statement by asking for evidence of when the client “messed things up.” This helps them change their perspective and reduce feelings of hopelessness. Many studies have shown that CBT is effective in reducing depressive symptoms, although it is not as effective in cases of extreme depression.

However, since CBT is not always effective, this means that looking at depression through the lens of only one perspective is not enough. The cognitive perspective does not address biological or environmental factors.  Research has shown that depression is also linked to genetics and chemical messengers, such as low levels of serotonin. Beck’s theory doesn’t fully explain how these biological factors interact with cognitive ones, so it does not give us a full explanation of why people get depressed.

Some researchers argue that negative thinking might not be the cause of depression, but rather a symptom. People might start thinking negatively because they’re already feeling depressed, not the other way around. It’s sometimes hard to tell which comes first. Therefore, the thinking patterns that Beck said cause depression may be a response to biological factors, rather than the biological factors of depression being a reaction to thinking patterns.

In addition, the cognitive approach does not address cultural differences in depression. One problem is that the symptoms of depression vary across cultures.  In some cultures, somatic symptoms such as back pain are common, rather than emotional distress that is seen in Western cultures.  The cognitive perspective alone cannot explain this difference.  In addition, the judgment by a therapist that one’s thinking is “irrational,” is based in Western psychology.  This may ignore cultural differences in worldview and impose Western culture when carrying out CBT.

In conclusion, Beck’s Cognitive Theory of Depression is a useful model that helps explain how our thinking can affect our mental health. However, a single perspective is not enough to explain this complex disorder.  The cognitive perspective has given psychologists a very good therapy that can help people potentially change their thinking and improve their mental health.