Positive Psychology for Overcoming Depression by Miriam Akhtar

Author:Miriam Akhtar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
ISBN: 9781786781468
Publisher: Watkins Media
Published: 2018-01-20T05:00:00+00:00

Learning optimism

In positive psychology the major tool used to challenge pessimistic explanatory style is the ABCDE, which Martin Seligman outlines in his classic book Learned Optimism.5 This model is at the heart of the Penn Resilience Program (PRP), which has been found to significantly reduce the incidence of depression in schoolchildren, for whom it was first developed. The ABC of the ABCDE is the way we interpret the events that happen to us, while the three Ds stand for the methods used to challenge the pessimistic thinking. The E is the reward when successfully applying the preceding steps.

A = Adversity: ‘A’ stands for the adversity, the bare facts of the event.

B = Belief: ‘B’ is your belief or thought about the adversity. This is your ‘heat-of-the-moment’ interpretation of what happened.

C = Consequences: These are the consequences for your emotions and behaviour. They are driven by your ‘B’s – beliefs about the adversity.

D = Disputation, Distraction, Distancing: ‘D’ stands for the three methods you can use to deal with the pessimism.

E = Energize: ‘E’ is the energy you regain when a pessimistic belief is successfully defeated.

Seligman recommends getting to know your ABCs so that you begin to recognize how it is your belief about what happens that drives the consequences for your emotions and behaviour rather than the event itself. Carry a notebook in which you list the adversities that happen, and sit down later and separate out the A from the B and the C. Use the example in the chart below to guide you.

A (Adversity) – A friend hasn’t responded to the invitation to my birthday party

B (Belief) – She doesn’t care about me

C (Consequences: how you felt and what you did) – I felt angry, upset, and I deleted her from my contacts

A (Adversity) –

B (Belief) –

C (Consequences) –

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