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Depressive irrationality

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Abstract

In accordance with Beck's (1967) cognitive therapy of depression, irrational thinking by depressive was assessed. Depressed female undergraduates endorsed self-deprecating statements and used illogical justification for causal beliefs to a greater degree than nondepressed female undergraduates supporting the hypothesis that depressive are irrational, both in their beliefs and in the ways beliefs are justified.

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This article is based on an undergraduate thesis completed by the first author under the supervision of the second author, submitted to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with honors. We thank Joseph Germana and Albert M. Prestrude for serving on the honors committee. We also thank James Austin, Stephanie Baker-Thomas, Michael Conn, Nason Russ, Jil Stoddard, Lowell Thomas, and Peter Villanova for assistance in coding data.

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Cook, M.L., Peterson, C. Depressive irrationality. Cogn Ther Res 10, 293–298 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173467

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