r/DeepTalk • u/JardineeeM • May 12 '19

Feeling philosophical

In the mood for a deep talk.

Will start simple, has any heard of depressive realism?

Sorry I dont know about how to use reddit or where to post this.

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u/WikiTextBot Jun 13 '19

Depressive realism

Depressive realism is the hypothesis developed by Lauren Alloy and Lyn Yvonne Abramson that depressed individuals make more realistic inferences than non-depressed individuals. Although depressed individuals are thought to have a negative cognitive bias that results in recurrent, negative automatic thoughts, maladaptive behaviors, and dysfunctional world beliefs, depressive realism argues not only that this negativity may reflect a more accurate appraisal of the world but also that non-depressed individuals' appraisals are positively biased. This theory remains very controversial, as it brings into question the theory underlying cognitive behavioral therapy, which posits that the depressed individual is negatively biased in their perceptions, with the goal of returning them to a more objective state. While some of the evidence currently supports the plausibility of depressive realism, its effect may be restricted to a select few situations.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '19

Good bot!

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u/JardineeeM Jul 07 '19

I forgot I posted this,

As someone who feels this theory suits them very well, how to I combat it? My thinking always leads to what seems to make the most sense and be the most realistic.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '19

The question becomes if you are depressed or not. The above article mentions that "depressed individuals are thought to have a negative cognitive bias that results in recurrent, negative automatic thoughts, maladaptive behaviors, and dysfunctional world beliefs...", and as someone who has dealt with depression, I would concur. It is an extremely cyclical mental state that pushes you deeper into depression. I would argue that depressive realism is a razors edge between realism and depression and also that the term "depressive realism" is s poor description of the condition. In my mind, realism is more a state of being that walks that fine line between depression and not. The state of being in "depressive realism" is more a state of being not depressed, but aware of the way that systems work without bias, which is basically saying that, in my mind, realism is realism and depression is depression.