While Beck argues that depression results from negative thinking styles that results to how people view their environment, Psychologists Martin Seligman and his colleagues postulated the concept of Learned Helplessness. The main key to how the group discovered this theory is by researching on the linkage between fear and learning in dogs. The research of Seligman made use of Classical Conditioning as it involved observing what happens when a dogs was set free from its enclosure upon hearing a sound. The remarkable results of the experiment suggest that the conditioned dog learned more than link between the tone and the shock. The dog also accepted that there was no escape from the situation. The results of the experiment inspired Seligman to expand the research to human behaviour. It soon became a model that aimed to explain depression. According to Nemade & Reis (2007) Seligman’s model of depression explained that people have learned to be helpless (Nemade & Reis, 2007). In his theory, Seligman argued that people who suffer from depression feel that no matter what they try to do, they will still be stuck in their bad situation and they have no control over their situation.
Beck & Seligman’s theories both highlight the role of cognition in depression. People with depression are more pessimistic in their manner of thinking. Similarly, they both mentioned that people who suffer from depression are more fragile compared to people who are not depressed. The underlying concept to this is how depressed people accept the fact that they are stuck in their miserable situation and no amount of effort can help them.
Compared to Beck’s theory, Seligman’s theory’s applicability is more observable in the day to day lives of people. In real life, the concept of Learned Helplessness has been demonstrated by a wide range of animal species. However, its effects are also demonstrated in people. Outside of depression, the concept of learned helplessness is also linked to other mental disorders such as phobias and anxieties due to its cognitive element. The idea of Beck is more into the psychoanalytical paradigm. For example the theory highlights concept of loss of self- worth after a negative incident. He introduced the concept of the cognitive triad. The cognitive triad reveals the three different kinds of negative thinking. These forms of negative thinking are often observed or found in people suffering from depression. These are believed to be automatic thoughts. Beck mentioned that people, who are suffering from depression, look at themselves as helpless and unworthy. Their thoughts are often pre-occupied by unrealistic negative beliefs. For example, they believe, that the world is an obstacle. People who have depression also develop negative self-schema. Their beliefs about themselves are unrealistic and pessimistic. Even as early as childhood, the negative schema can form on children. These negative schemas are further reinforced by unfortunate events such as loss of a loved one, bullying or rejection.
People who have negative self-schema are more vulnerable to depression. These people are more susceptible to logical errors as they tend to be more selective thinkers. They reject other information. As such, Beck also introduced the concepts of Selective Abstraction, Personalization, Dichotomous Thinking, Arbitrary Inference and Magnification and Minimisation.
In conclusion, based on the concepts explained by the two theorists, the theory that appealed to me more is Seligman’s theory. Although Beck’s theory is also cognitive in nature, his theory is more complex compared to Seligman who highlights the fundamentals of cognitive conditioning. Depression is a result of unfortunate events that alters people thinking that their situation will never change.
Reference:
Nemade & Reis, (2007). Cognitive Theories of Major Depression- Seligman. MentalHelp. Net
