PP15
TASK 5
P5 Explain the value of the cognitive perspective in supporting individuals
Outline Piaget’s stages of cognitive development to explain what the cognitive perspective is.
Outline Kelly’s theory of personal constructs.
READ PP15 and answer the following questions:
Identify the negative thoughts Jamala has in this scenario
Explain how her negative thoughts lead to negative emotions
Predict how Jamala’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour may influence her future behaviour in other situations.
Jamala tends to interpret negative events as being her own fault; they are due to some character flaw she has. This affects her feelings about such events and then leads to her behaviour changing as a result of her thoughts and feelings. One day, Jamala goes to college as usual. In the corridor she meets Rob and smiles brightly at him. Rob ignores her. Jamala’s thoughts are racing; ‘Rob thinks I’m pathetic and ridiculous. He doesn’t’ want anything to do with me.’
When she enters the classroom for the first lecture of the day, Rob is in a corner of the classroom surrounded by 5 students. They are all laughing. One of the students looks up at Jamala and gestures for her to sit with them. Jamala, however, is thinking, ‘They’re all laughing at me. He’s told them about me in the corridor and they think I’m coming on to him. He’s said he thinks I’m ugly and geeky. If I sit with them they’ll just snigger about me. I’ll sit by myself’.
At the end of the lecture is the coffee break. Jamala stays behind in the classroom because she believes the other group will continue laughing at her and winding her up if she joins them. Because of this hurt to her self-esteem and self-concept, Jamala goes to the library instead. The minute she is free to leave college, she escapes, alone, to catch the bus home. At home she broods on the events of the day, convincing herself that she is pathetic and unpopular. The next day she misses college.
Over the course of the next six weeks she misses more than 80% of college. Eventually she drops out, believing she won’t be missed. By now, Jamala is convinced that she is unpopular, ridiculed and disliked by the group of people she had believed were becoming her friends.
- Identify the negative thoughts Jamala has in this scenario
- Explain how her negative thoughts lead to negative emotions
- Predict how Jamala’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour may influence her future behaviour in other situations.