More handpicked essays just for you.
Critical analysis of Becks depression inventory
An overview of Beck's cognitive theory of depression in contemporary literature
Critical analysis of Becks depression inventory
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Critical analysis of Becks depression inventory
Beck’s theory of depression focuses on negative thoughts being the cause of depression. Beck believed that negative thoughts generated by dysfunctional beliefs were usually the primary cause of depressive symptoms. His theory of depression showed how early experiences could lead to the formation of dysfunctional beliefs, which could later on turn into negative thoughts. He focused on the fact that these negative automatic thoughts were what lead an individual to become depressed. His main argument was that depression started with a negative view of oneself, instead of having a negative view of oneself due to depression. He believed there was a direct relationship between the amount and severity of someone’s negative thoughts and the severity of their depression symptoms, so basically the more negative thoughts a person had the more depressed they would become. Seligman’s theory of learned helplessness looked at the depression from a different point of view. Seligman believed that depression was caused by a series of setbacks, such as a death in the family that led a person to feel a ...
First of all, through this assignment, I have learned that a theory is an interrelated set of concepts and propositions, organized into deductive systems that explain relationships among different aspects. It is an overall explanation of the person in environment configuration, and helps explain why a problem is occurring. It will also provide a social worker with a set of ideas that will help the social worker get a better understanding of the problem. In addition, there are many different theories, and perspectives that are used in the social work field to empower people and to promote a positive society for all. This particular case is associated with bio-psychosocial approach
The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) is the latest version of one of the most extensively used assessments of depression that utilizes a self-report method to measure depression severity in individuals aged thirteen and older (Beck, Steer & Brown, 1996). The BDI-II proves to be an effective measure of depression as evidenced by its prevalent use in both clinical and counseling settings, as well as its use in studies of psychotherapy and antidepressant treatment (Beck, Steer & Brown, 1996). Even though the BDI-II is meant to be administered individually, the test administration time is only 5 to 10 minutes and Beck, Steer & Brown (1996) remark that the interpretive guidelines presented in the test manual are straightforward, making the 21 item Likert-type measure an enticing option to measure depression in appropriate educational settings. However it is important to remember that even though the BDI-II may be easy to administer and interpret, doing so should be left to highly trained individuals who plan to use the results in correlation with other assessments and client specific data when diagnosing a client with depression. An additional consideration is the response bias that can occur in any self-report instrument; Beck, Steer & Brown (1996, pg. 1) posit that clinicians are often “faced with clients who alter their presentation to forward a personal agenda that may not be shared.” This serves as an additional reminder that self-report assessments should not be the only assessment used in the diagnoses process.
A culture’s view of depression differs from one another. For example, cross-cultural psychiatrists have found that depression can be expressed in somatic and emotional terms, ‘“In “somaticizing cultures, “depressive experiences may be expressed as complaints of weakness, tiredness, ‘imbalance’ (Chinese and Asian cultures), ‘nerves’ and headaches (in Latino and Mediterranean cultures)…”’ Due to the diversity of experiences within the different cultures, there is no universal entity incorporating all views of culture in defining depression. The views of a culture toward mental disorders have a great impact on the prevalence of certain individuals within a culture compared to another culture. For example, Japan has a significantly lower prevalence depression rate compared to the United States, “the World Health Survey Initiative estimated a twelve-month prevalence of mood disorders to be around 3.1% in Japan compared with 9.6% in the United States.” The concept of “depression” is the factor to account for in this difference of vulnerability.
The Beck Depression Inventory is a self-report inventory that attempts to understand the severity of depression in adults and or adolescents. The original Beck Depression Inventory was created in 1961 by Aaron Beck and his associates and was revised in 1971. In 1971, the Beck Depression Inventory was introduced at the Center for Cognitive Therapy, CCT, at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Much of the research on the Beck Depression Inventory has been done at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. In the current version, of the Beck Depression Inventory, the subject rates 21 symptoms and attitudes on a 4 point scale depending on severity. Test takers rate the items listed in the inventory according to a one week timeframe, which includes the day the test takers took the test. The items that that the inventory measures covers cognitive, somatic, affective and vegetative dimensions of depression and although it was developed atheoretically, the items correspond with depression symptoms as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) (DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The Beck Depression Inventory is widely known and is well known by psychiatric populations and clinicians. The BDI can be administered in a group or individual format by oral or written form. The 1993 version targets more trait aspects of depression versus the previous and earlier versions measured state aspects of depression. The test is to be administered with no more than 15 minutes to take the test, regardless of the mode administered. The 21 symptoms that are rated on the 4 point scale are then totaled and the range can vary from 0 to 63. Patients that score...
The theory our learning team is studying is the psychodynamic approach or what is sometimes called psychoanalytic approach. The main contributors to Psychodynamic approaches was the founder Sigmund Freud (1859-1939), Anna Freud (1895-1982) gave significant contribution to the psychodynamics of adolescence and Erik Erickson (1902-1994) called the “new” Freud but with an emphasis on ego (conscious) forces, termed as psychosocial theory (Craig & Dunn, p 11-13). Psychodynamics is the explanation or interpretation (as of behavior or mental states) in terms of mental or emotional forces or processes (www.merriam-webster.com)
The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger is about a boy named Holden Caulfield and his struggles in one part of his life. Holden seem very normal to people around him and those he interacts with. However, Holden is showing many sighs of depression. A couple of those signs that are shown are: trouble sleeping, drinking, smoking, not eating right, and he talk about committing suicide a couple times during the book. On top of that Holden feel alienated plus the death of Holden’s brother Allie left Holden thinking he and no where to go in life.
Do you ever feel down and out? Fill yourself loosing interest in thing you used to love? Then you might have depression. Depression is a period of time in which you feel sad. I know you are saying to yourself you are just a little down, but depression is a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often unable to live in a normal way. There are multiple types of depression, that effects your mental state in various ways.
As Descartes argued, the mind and the body are the base of our existence, and many different cultures view different illnesses positively or negatively. Certain cultures, like the Hmong, believe that epilepsy is a good spiritual thing, but others, such as Western culture, believe that it is medically bad because it could cause death. Many illnesses can be viewed both negatively and positively, some more than others. However, one such illness that is mostly viewed negatively is depression. It is viewed negatively in a symptomatic sense – the symptoms are useless – and in a diagnostic sense – those diagnosed with depression are not actually depressed and the illness itself does not exist; it is simply an excuse to be lazy. There are many different approaches to depression and most of them consider that this illness is negative; however, depression is actually an evolutionary tactic subconsciously employed by humans that can have very positive effects.
This approach has become the stimulus for a number of similar theories which share the same assumptions on psychological development, yet differ in detail. (Gross, R, 2007) Erik Erikson, a neo-freudian himself accepted Freud’s theory but whereas the psychodynamic approach focuses on five main stages of development until adulthood, Erikson theorised that development is lifelong and continues throughout life until death. (Psychology for A Level 2000)
Theorists have expanded our knowledge of psychology, influenced one another to broaden, and built upon each other’s theories to develop their own. One theorist who has built upon previous theorists was Erik Erikson. Erikson developed an eight-stage theory of identity and psychosocial development, which has countless strengths and weaknesses.
There were multiple influencers of this theory such as Beck, Ellis, Meichenbaum, Mahoney and Cautela (Knapp & Beck, 2008, pp.55), however the most widely known theorists were Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis. The theory transpired in part due to Beck’s studies involving psychoanalysis. He had been studying depression in relation to psychoanalytic concepts, however the studies revealed that there was actually very little validation for the application of psychoanalytic concepts to depression (“History of CBT,” 2015). This led to the formation of new theories of depression, such as the concept of automatic thoughts. These thoughts are defined as an individuals’ negative thoughts about themselves, the world, or the future (“History of CBT,” 2015). As a result of this discovery Beck began a new approach to therapy that involved the client changing their automatic thoughts to create enduring change (“History of CBT,” 2015). This therapy is now commonly known as cognitive behavioral therapy. Like Beck, Ellis practiced psychoanalysis in the 1940’s however he began practicing his own innovation rational emotive behavior therapy in 1955 (“About Ellis,” 2014). He observed that clients could modify their irrational beliefs through logical-empirical questioning, challenging, disputing and debating (Knapp & Beck,
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.
The theories of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg contributed greatly to the field of psychology. They are similar in some ways and distinct in others, but both theories served to lay the foundation for a major facet of modern developmental psychology.
Depression is a mental illness. A person who suffers from depression is not lacking attention, to hurt anyone, or even to die. They don't consider suicide to be "the easy way out." To someone in the middle stage or end of a depression, it is the only way out!
The silent killer that takes lives without warning, punishment, or any sympathy; depression is truly one of the most prominent mental illnesses in the world. Depression is defined as a mental illness inducing a severe and staunch feeling of sadness. The term depressed is coined in English as a temporary sadness that everyone experiences in their life. Despite that depression is more active in women, it is still one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. It affects anybody, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic standing. Regardless of all these facts, surprisingly little is known about depression, however, scientists have been able to hypothesize major causes, effects, and treatments for the disability affecting over