Gender Difference on Emotional Competence in Reference to CBT Intervention among Depressed Subjects

Abstract

In a recent meta-analytical review, cognitive behavior therapy is found to be markedly effective in the treatment of depression (Cuijpers et al., 2013). Cognitive behavior therapy is also the most studied psychotherapy for depression and thus has the greatest weight of evidence. The cognitive behavior therapy of depression involves helping the client to recognize his/her negative automatic thoughts and images and then challenges them by monitoring their experience and associated emotional response. This leads to restore them with more rational and appropriate alternative interpretations of situations. In the presence of behavioural inactivation, the appropriate use of behavior techniques is crucial (Rehm, 1977). The behavioural task such as graded exercise may improve feeling of competency and mastery. Along with this, supervised introduction of pleasureable activities in clients' daily routine, it will improve over their hedonic capacity. Thereby breaking a negative behavioural cycle of depression.The present study has employed Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy model of CBT, which has a little distinctive perspective on emotional problems (Ellis, 1993). According to this perspective all major emotional problems such as anxiety and depression can be treated with the understanding that the very basis of all human disturbances is because of the tendency of making devout, absolutistic evaluations of perceived events that come in the form of dogmatic 'musts' or 'shoulds' (Ellis D Petrides & Fumham, 2003). To achieve and maintain a feeling of adequacy, the individual has to acquire a few workable assumptions about the world, where need for competence emerges as the most of the fundamental motive of life, because we survive through competence, grow through competence and actualize ourselves through competence (Allport, 1961).How an individual handles his emotions, whether competently or incompetently, would be a question of immense importance in explaining depression and growth of personality. Emotional competence as efficiency to deal effectively with several dissociable but related processes is a blending of five competencies (Coleman, 1970). Adequate Depth of Feeling, Adequate Expression and control of emotions, Ability to function with emotions, Ability to cope with problem emotions, Enhancement of positive emotions.Although we all experience emotions, we markedly differ in the way we process them. Some of us are able to identify our emotions, express them in a socially acceptable manner, and regulate them when they are inappropriate, others (especially depressive personality) have a hard time interpreting their emotions and seem, most of the time, overwhelmed by them.The influence of gender on experience of depression has been observed, and it has been reported that 21.3% of women and 12.7% of men will experience depression at sometime during their lives (Baron, 1998). Factors that predict depression in women include economic deprivation, preoccupation with failure, low self esteem, a sense of helplessness, a pessimistic attitude toward the world, and narcissistic vulnerability (Mayer &Deitsch, 1996).The present study attempts to explore the effect of CBT on emotional competence of depressed individuals with respect to gender. This study is concerned with the diagnosis and intervention for depressive individuals residing in Dehradun city. However, it attempts to cover the substantial proportion of people who present mild and moderate form of depression. …