To what extent do biological, cognitive and sociocultural factors influence abnormal behaviour? (22)

To What Extent (22) – Consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept. Opinions and conclusions should be presented clearly and supported with appropriate evidence and sound argument.



Abnormal behaviour: Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)

Socio-cultural etiologies of depression

Diathesis Stress Model
Claims that depression may be a result of inherited predisposition and events from the environment (hence dia-thesis, two explanations).

Lewinsohn et al (2001)
Description
  • Studied adolescents who experienced many negative life events over a 12 month period.
  • Those who had strongly negative attributions at the start of the study were much more likely to develop major depression.
  • Diathesis Stress Model (Events from the environment)

Vulnerability Model (Theorist: Brown)

Brown & Harris – Social origins of depression in women
[A] Find out the social origins of depression in women.
[P]
  • Studied women who received hospital treatment for depression.
  • Sampled 458 women in the general population aged between 18 to 65.
[F]
  • 82% of those who became depressed had recently experienced severe life changing event(s).
  • 33% experienced severe life changing event(s) in the non-depressed group.
  • 23% percent working class women became depressed within the past year.
  • 3% in the middle class.
  • Those with a young children were at higher risk of becoming depressed.
[C]
  • Life events that resembled previous experiences were more likely to trigger depression.
[E]
  • Relatively big sample group, representable of the general population, results can be generalised.
  • Cultural factors were not taken into consideration.

Symptoms of depression in different cultures – Marsella

Prince – Depression in Africa and Asia
Study brief
  • Study claims that there were no signs of depression in Africa and parts of Asia.
  • Reported depression rose with westernization in colonial countries.
[E]
  • Researchers argue that depression is not exactly the same globally.
  • Depression may be expressed differently and may escape the attention of people from different cultures.
  • Asian and African countries tend to be more collectivist.
  • People from collectivist society might not report depression since it might affect others in the social network.



Cognitive etiologies of depression

Learned helplessness and hopelessness (Theorist: Seligman)

Seligman – Learned Helplessness Dog Study (Depression)
[A] Prove that Learned Helplessness can lead to depression.
[P]
  • A dog was trapped in an enclosed area where the floor was lined with electrodes.
  • The experimenter would activate the electrode once in a while.
  • The dog would jump over a low wall to the other side of the enclosed area where no electrodes were on the floor.
  • The experimenter raised the wall slowly until it was too high for the dog to jump over.
  • Then after a few trials, the experimenter lowered the wall again.
[F]
  • The dog gave the high wall a few attempts.
  • But after knowing that it is impossible to jump across, the dog gave up and let itself get electrocuted.
  • When the walls were lowered again, the dog did not attempt to jump across.
[C]
  • The dog learnt that he is incapable of jumping across.
  • Learn that its are helpless therefore lowering its self esteem.
[E]
  • Low in ecological validity, lab experiment.
  • Controlled, no confounding variable.
  • Animal experiment can provide insight into human behaviour.
  • Unethical, participants did not have rights to withdraw.
  • Induced fear and depression into participants.

Faulty attributions (Theorist: Abramson)

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