Cognitive model of Abnormality

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Cognitive model of Abnormality

• Definition

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Assumptions of Cognitive model

• Abnormality is caused by faulty thinking.
• Examples of faulty thinking include maladaptive
  assumptions and recurring upsetting thoughts.
• These thoughts lead to mental illness such as
  depression.

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Personal Control

• An underlying assumption of the cognitive model
  is that the individual is responsible for their
  faulty condition. It is poor control of thought
  processes that has led to their illness.

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Albert Ellis ( Rational Emotive therapy)

• Ellis did a large amount of work on irrational
  thought processes. He developed a technique
  referred to as RET.
• This seeks to correct these irrational thoughts.
• He suggested that human misery was due to
  masturbatory activities.
• Self indulgent thought processes, I should always
  be competent.

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Criticism of model

• Irrational thoughts may be the effect of the
  mental illness and not the cause.
• Blames the patient for their illness and not the
  environment. The environment, e.g.. Family
  history, will effect the individual.

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Implications for treatment

• Strategies and programmes that seek to correct
  faulty thinking involve the active involvement of
  the patient.
• The client must be made aware of their faulty
  thinking.
• Cognitive therapy is becoming increasingly
  popular and successful for people with conditions
  such as depression and anxiety.

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Summary

• Maladaptive behaviour is assumed to be the
  product of dysfunctional information processing,
  therefore normal behaviour would be the
  product of more logical and rational processing.
• Normal behaviour relies on cognitions that are
  neither distorted nor deficient.

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Study Question

• Write a 50 word summary outlining the basic
  assumptions of the cognitive model.
• Give two criticisms of the model.
• What is meant by the term maladaptive assumption?