Question

Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders

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Page(s) 564–565
14.2. How Do People Experience Disorders of Emotion?
How can psychological factors lead to the development of depression?
Correct Answer(s)
People who are experiencing many negative events believe they are powerless to avoid them, so they are not motivated to make positive changes.
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People’s negative thoughts about themselves, their situations, and the future influence each other and contribute to depression.
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Operant conditioning reinforces feelings of depression.
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Having a large number of acquaintances decreases the risk of developing depression.
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When someone’s friends stop hanging out with her because she is always negative, this may make her depression worse.
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Incorrect Answer(s)

Answer 1

The incorrect statement is:
- "Having a large number of acquaintances decreases the risk of developing depression." (Incorrect)

The correct points (and why) are:
- People who experience many negative events come to believe they are powerless to avoid them (learned helplessness), so they aren’t motivated to make positive changes — this can produce or maintain depression.
- People’s negative thoughts about themselves, their situations, and the future influence each other (Beck’s cognitive triad); this cognitive pattern contributes to and maintains depression.
- Operant conditioning can reinforce depressive behavior: withdrawal, passivity, or rumination can be maintained by contingencies (e.g., attention, escape from demands, or reduction of effortful activities that once provided reward).
- When friends stop spending time with someone because she is always negative, the resulting loss of social support and reinforcement can worsen her depression.

Note: social connectedness matters more in quality than raw number of acquaintances; many shallow contacts don’t reliably protect against depression.