If we think of depression as one of the most serious and frequent mental disorders worldwide, we will realize that it is a problem that needs to be fought.

And to do so, part of the solution is to analyze the problem and try to unravel its causes. In this sense there have been many authors who throughout history have tried to generate hypotheses and theories about what is the origin of depression.

On a psychological level, one of the best known is Lewinsohn’s behavioural theory of depression , which we will comment on in the following lines.

Depression: a brief description of the problem

In order to understand Lewinsohn’s behavioral theory of depression, it is necessary to first understand the type of problem that this author’s theory seeks to explain: depression.

Depression is one of the main mood disorders (and one of the most frequent mental problems worldwide) which is characterised by the continued existence for most of the day and most of the days for at least two weeks of a sad mood and/or the presence of anhedonia (loss of the ability to feel pleasure and satisfaction), in addition to other symptoms such as hopelessness, passivity, sleep problems, loss of appetite and weight, loss of sexual libido, or thoughts of death and suicide.

It is also common for there to be clinophilia or a tendency to remain bedridden and inactive. The person is usually unable to see him/herself as being able to get out of such a situation , often with constant ruminations of an aversive type and seeing himself/herself, the world and the future as something hostile and negative.

Depression is a disorder that generates great discomfort and is profoundly disabling in all areas. On a social-relational level, it is common for depressed people to gradually isolate themselves, and although initially the environment tends to show support and understanding, in the long run there may be a distancing from the person. At the work and academic levels, a great loss of performance is perceived.

There are many theories that attempt to provide an explanation for the causes of depression, including Lewinsohn’s behavioral theory of depression. Let’s see what it is.

Lewinsohn’s Behavioral Theory of Depression

Lewinsohn’s behavioral theory of depression is one of the major theories within the field of psychology that aims to provide an explanation for why depression arises. This theory starts from the behavioural current , focusing on explaining depression based on processes of association and conditioning linked to the performance of behaviours and the consequences of such actions.

Specifically, Lewinsohn’s behavioural theory of depression states that the main cause of depression is the existence of a lack of reinforcement of the behaviours emitted by the subject in most aspects of his life.

This implies that the actions carried out by the person do not provide him/her with gratification or satisfaction in most areas , something that in the long run will make him/her carry out fewer and fewer behaviours. This will result in the subject gradually becoming more passive and over time most symptoms of depression will appear.

The fact of not seeing in a contingent way that the actions that he carries out suppose or have as consequence nothing positive that encourages him to repeat it, especially in contexts in which the person would expect to obtain them, will generate that the level of activity declines. In addition, at a cognitive level the person may start to feel emotions such as guilt, low self-esteem and negative thoughts derived from attributing such lack of reinforcement to internal and stable elements.

The explanation of the causes

The reasons why this reinforcement may not occur may be multiple, and in this theory it is contemplated that they may be both environmental and dispositional.

On the one hand, we may find that the environment or setting surrounding the subject is not sufficiently reinforcing per se (for example, a cold or even hostile environment with the actions of the subject), that the person does not have enough skills to obtain them or has difficulties in doing so (especially at a social level), or that the subject’s perception of what is reinforcing may be biased.

Likewise, depression would not start from scratch: as Lewinsohn proposed in a reformulation of his original theory, at the beginning of depressions there is usually a triggering event that causes the person’s habitual behaviour to be altered and from which a decrease in reinforcement (and later in the subject’s activity) begins.

Negative expectations and negative feelings towards oneself would also appear, generating a deep malaise and affecting the various areas of life. A sequence of causes would be established that would end up leading to less and less activity and reinforcement and the emergence of depression.

Risk and protective factors

Lewinsohn’s theory also discusses the existence of some factors that may make it easier or harder to develop depression: risk factors and protective factors.

In the first case, the fact of being in aversive situations very often , a precarious socio-economic situation, acting as a caregiver (especially in the case of young children), having had depression before, having low self-esteem and being a woman are considered factors that may increase the probability of suffering from depression.

On the other hand, frequent exposure to positive situations, being perceived as competent, having high self-esteem and having a good social support network are protective factors, so that it is difficult for depression to arise.

Why does the depressed state persist?

In addition to offering an explanatory framework that can guide us when it comes to establishing why depression appears, Lewinsohn’s theory also aims to explain the mechanisms by which it is maintained over time .

Also from a behavioral perspective, the author establishes that in the first moments after the beginning of the depression it is habitual that the one who suffers it receives understanding and attention on the part of the environment and the means, so that its state is reinforced when supposing the attention an improvement of its situation.

However, this implies that the discomfort is enhanced when the subject’s behaviours are transformed into something that generates positive stimulation (the attention received), so that it remains in force.

On the other hand, when the environment stops paying attention to the subject, he or she begins to receive less positive stimulation, something that on the other hand favors the maintenance of depressive behavior since the lack of reinforcement of the behavior is what motivated the beginning of the depression.

Bibliographic references:

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
  • Belloch, A.; Sandín, B. and Ramos, F. (2002). Manual of Psychopathology, Vol. McGraw-Hill. Madrid.
  • Lewinsohn, P.M., Gotlib, I.H. and Hautzinger, M. (1997). Behavioral treatment of unipolar depression. In V.E. Caballo (dir.), Manual para el tratamiento cognitivo-conductual de los trastornos psicológicos, vol. 1 (pp. 493-541). Madrid: Siglo XXI
  • Vázquez, F.L., Muñoz, R.F., Becoña, E. (2000). Depresión: diagnóstico, modelos teóricos y tratamiento a finales del siglo XX. Psicología Conductual, 8 (3): 417-449.