Steven Anthony Jones
The role of cognitions in depression
Jones, Steven Anthony
Authors
Abstract
The relationship between depression and attributions and expectancies concerning current life problems and syn^toms was examined in a series of studies in clinical populations, aimed principally at examining aspects of the attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness theory of depression. In an Initial study comparing depressed and emxious patients, some evidence was found of an association between depression and internal, global and uncontrollable attributions concerning current life problems. A subsequent study examined the relationship between internality cmd the components of depression obtained from a factor analysis of the Beck Depression Inventory. Evidence was found of a specific association between personal (vs universal) internal attributions and a component of the BDI, Interpreted as reflecting low self esteem. A longitudinal study did not, however, provide evidence of a causal relationship between low self esteem wd attributions. Finally depression severity was found, in a separate study, to be associated with pessimism about future change in symptoms, while low self esteem was found to be atssociated with internal attributions concerning the cause of the main presenting symptom. Patients who presented with diffuse, emotional symptoms, compcu'ed with those who presented with more specific, neurotic symptoms, were more depressed and attributed the cause of their symptoms more to internal psychological (compared with medical) causes. It was concluded that though some evidence had been obtained of an association between attributions, expectancies and the components of depression, this could be accounted for by the hypothesis that attributions and expectancies are a cognitive symptom of depression rather than that they cause depression. It is contended that methodological problems do, however, make evidence of a causal relationship difficult to obtain.
Publicly Available Date | Mar 29, 2024 |
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