Discuss the concept of cognitive vulnerability as a model of the cause of depression

Answer:

There are several cognitive models of the etiology of depression. One model is based on the work of Aaron Beck who suggests that people develop, through the course of their lives, habitual ways of looking at the world and themselves. These cognitive patterns determine how they interpret and react to life events. Some patterns, or habitual ways of thinking and perceiving, make an individual more vulnerable to depression. From this perspective, persistent negative or pessimistic thoughts would be such a vulnerability. Various types of distortions, errors or biases in thinking or perceiving, such as a tendency to assign a global, personal meaning to negative experiences, would be conducive to depression. There are several cognitive distortions that could be mentioned here including a tendency to overgeneralize negative conclusions from one negative experience, a tendency to draw arbitrary inferences about one's self without evidence, and a tendency to exaggerate any negative experience. Mention should be made of Beck's concept of schema, which is a cognitive term for the collection of assumptions, attributions, and ways of perceiving that guide ones cognitive habits or tendencies.