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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–2Cite as

Depressive Cognitive Triad

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Definition

Depressive cognitive triad is used to describe negative views of depressed individuals about themselves, the world, and the future (Beck 1976).

Introduction

In Aaron T. Beck’s cognitive model (1976), schemata, cognitive errors, cognitive triad, and automatic thoughts are central to the development and maintenance of depression. Schemata are relatively enduring, organizing structures that guide situational information processing. Dysfunctional schemata are negative in content and consist of immature, absolute, and rigid attitudes about the self and its relation to the world. When activated by stress, dysfunctional schemata lead to cognitive errors, the next step in the causal pathway to depression. Cognitive errors cause an individual’s perception and thinking to be unrealistic, extreme, and distorted in a negative way. As a result of these processes, depressed individuals hold a set of beliefs about themselves, the world, and the future, which is referred to as the...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Patrick Pössel & Caroline M. Pittard

Authors
  1. Patrick Pössel
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  2. Caroline M. Pittard
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Pössel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Charlie Reeve

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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Pössel, P., Pittard, C. (2016). Depressive Cognitive Triad. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_973-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_973-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

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