Behavioural explanation and treatment of depression

Approach	Explanation [Study]	Treatment [Study]
BEHAVIOURAL All behaviour is learned Depression is learned Depression can be unlearned	The behaviourist perspective explains that depression is learned and is the result of the environment; particularly, depression is the result of maladaptive learning experiences. Lewinsohn argued that positive reinforcements were important; lacking positive reinforcement for non-depressed activities and then gaining positive reinforcement for depressed activities could cause depression. Lewinsohn: sample of 30 participants, some with depression and some without. They were asked to self-report their positive reinforcements in a “pleasant events schedule”, and their depression levels were monitored on a “depression adjective checklist”. The results showed a negative correlation between positive reinforcements and depression scores.	The behaviourist perspective assumes that as behaviour can be learned, it can also be unlearned. In terms of positive reinforcements, this means that positive reinforcements can be introduced to the individual’s daily life as a reward for non-depressed activities such as socialising and getting things done. It’s generally part of CBT programmes, rather than administered by itself. e.g. Lewinsohn conducted a study on the CBT course of “coping with depression”, which involved a sample of 69 adolescents with depression. There were 3 groups: a control group, the standard CBT group, and the CBT group with the addition of parents being encouraged to give reinforcements for improvements in behaviour. The control group improved 5%, the standard CBT group improved 43%, and the parent+CBT group improved 47%.