The Cognitive Model

Beck and Ellis

Y. Quaintrell, 2009
The cognitive model
 This model assumes that emotional
problems can be linked to distortions in
our thinking processes – our cognition.
 These can be; negative thoughts,
irrational beliefs, illogical errors, polarized
thinking (very black and white thinking)
or over-generalisations
 They claim that they thoughts occur
automatically without our full awareness
of it

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Albert Ellis (1962) and Aaron Beck
(1963)

 Ellis and Beck are the founders of this

approach
 They felt that the behaviourist model did
not take into account cognitive/mental
processes
 They argued that thinking processes that
occur between the stimulus and response
are responsible for the feelings associated
with the response.

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Ellis and REBT
 Ellis believed that everyone’s thoughts
were rational at times and irrational at
other times.
 When we think rationally, we behave
rationally and we feel happy, competent
and efficient.
 However when we think irrationally we
can develop negative or disturbed habits
in our thinking which can lead to
psychological disturbance (e.g.
depression, anxiety etc)

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Ellis and REBT
 Ellis felt that irrational thinking can
be observed in the language we use
e.g. ‘should’ ‘ought’ and ‘must’
 Some examples:
 ‘I ought to be good for my parents’
 ‘My tutor should be nice to me’
 ‘I must get a good grade’

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Ellis and REBT
 Ellis also felt that some people exaggerate or
‘catastrophize’ events
 E.g. ‘I must be really stupid because Yvonne
ignored me this morning when I asked for help’
 What other reasons might there be?
 This negative thinking will lead to feelings of
failure which will lead to behaviour that reflects
that (e.g. for the above it may be to leave
college) and the outcome will be psychological
problems such as depression.
 Ellis developed a therapy for people based on this
called Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy where
individuals are assisted in removing irrational
thinking

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Beck and CBT
 Beck also felt that negative thoughts
underlie mental disorder and he was
particularly interested in finding out why
people become depressed.
 He found that depressed people tend to
draw illogical and negative conclusions
about themselves
 These result in negative feelings which
lead to depression

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Beck – Cognitive Triad
 Beck identified three forms of negative
thinking that are typical of people with
depression
1. Negative views about the future – e.g.
‘I’ll never be good at anything’
2. Negative views about themselves – e.g.
‘I’m worthless and stupid’
3. Negative views about the world – e.g.
‘Everyone hates me’
 He called this the cognitive triad

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Beck – Cognitive Triad
 Beck’s cognitive therapy (or Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy – CBT) is usually
used with people with depression
 It aims at training people to monitor their
thinking and situations where negative
thinking occurs.
 It trains them to counter-balance that
thinking and challenge distorted thoughts

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The Cognitive Model and behaviour

 How might these theories relate to

children’s behaviour?

 How might these theories influence

early years practice?

Y Quaintrell, 2009
Relating to children’s behaviour
 Children can experience negative thinking too.
 Children can become depressed and may develop
thinking habits that might carry on into adulthood
 If children have negative views of themselves and
low self-esteem that may withdraw from activities
or disrupt in an attempt to avoid certain
situations and learning
 If children have low self-esteem and feel that
they are not worthy then they may behave in
ways that reflect this e.g. ‘No-one likes me
anyway so I might as well misbehave’
 Children too can over-generalise or catastrophize
situations
 They may use ‘must’ ‘ought’ and ‘should’ in their
thinking

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Relating to Early Years Practice
 We should challenge children’s negative
comments
 We should challenge over-generalisations
or exaggerations e.g. ‘I have no friends’ –
you could encourage them to tell you
what they have done during breaks and
highlight children who have played with
them
 Refrain from using ‘ought’ ‘should’ and
‘must’ – try explaining choices and
consequences

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Reference List
 Cardwell.M., Clarke.L. and Meldrum.C.,
(2003) Psychology for AS-level 3rd Ed.,
London: HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

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