Beck’s Cognitive Theory of Depression breaks the mold of thinking about mental health by introducing the concept that we can change our perception and break the cycle of negative thoughts. Research into the causes of depression was conducted by psychologists such as Martin Seligman, whose studies found that depressed people often feel like they’re trapped in a vicious circle where they repeatedly fail to achieve goals that they set themselves. He proposed that these failures lead to feelings of hopelessness and guilt, which further reinforces a downward spiral of negative thought patterns.
Seligman found in his research that if animals were repeatedly subjected to an unpleasant stimulus, they would eventually stop trying to avoid it. He also observed that humans behave similarly to animals and that repeated exposure to negative events leads to learned helplessness. In order to understand why this happens, psychologists developed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which teaches individuals how to change negative thinking patterns into positive ones.
CBT is effective because it helps patients identify their thoughts and feelings, and then teaches them ways to cope with these emotions. For example, if someone feels depressed, he/she may think “I’m worthless”, and this thought pattern might lead to self-doubt and hopelessness. By changing the way one thinks about something, one changes the way one feels about it; hence, one can make oneself depressed much easier, which could be understood by irrational negative thoughts and learned helplessness.
