THE EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION, FORMER DEPRESSION, AND LIFE STRESS ON THE COGNITIVE SELF-SCHEMA

This study was designed to focus on the self-schema of depressed and formerly depressed subjects, and how that is influenced by high and low life stress events. Six groups of subjects were selected for three levels of mood (depressed, formerly depressed, and nondepressed) and for two levels of stress (high and low). Subjects were nonclinical moderately depressed college students. Each subject experienced a treatment condition consisting of a "self-rating" task and an "other-rating" task for both positive and negative content. Dependent measures were endorsement of those attributes for self or other and subsequent incidental recall of attributes. Results showed that the effects of the level of depression on evaluating oneself and others were significant. Depression also influenced the process of recall in a more select manner as hypothesized. There were effects for level of stress, though less powerful than the effects of depression.;All mood groups evidenced self-schema effects. The depressives differed from the other two groups by showing two schemas, one negative and one positive, which may result in conflict with each other.;Depressed subjects, in rating positive content, suprisingly evaluated themselves and recalled as many positive attributes for themselves as nondepressed subjects. This suggests moderate depressives do not distort reality as much as previously believed. Their higher scores on the Cognitive Bias Questionnaire suggest that it is how they process and act on their perceptions that creates distortion. However, all groups showed some kind of cognitive distortion. The depressed and past depressed groups showed a contrast effect (putting the self down in relation to the other). The nondepressed exhibited a self-enhancement effect (building the self up in relation to the other).;Stress influenced the groups differentially. Interestingly, the depressives showed little difference. The past depressed showed more cognitive distortion under high stress by recalling more negative attributes. This suggests that stress is an antecedent of depression for those predisposed to depression. The nondepressed differed according to task. They rated themselves more positively under high stress for the positive task, but more negatively with the negative task.;Finally, the past depressed group, as well as the depressed group, exhibited a transitory state by changing their mood level after completing the task conditions, whereas the nondepressed remained stable.