INTEGRATING COGNITIVE AND MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS IN DEPRESSION - INITIAL TESTS OF A GOAL-ORIENTATION APPROACH

Attempts to predict depression from a strictly cognitive perspective h ave met with limited success. A goal-orientation model is proposed tha t integrates motivational and cognitive factors in attempting to expla in and predict depression. The model proposes that people differ in th eir goal orientation, with some people being more validation seeking ( VS) and others being more growth seeking (GS). The model predicts that compared with GS persons, VS persons will show greater anxiety in ant icipation of a stressful event and greater self-esteem loss, task dise ngagement, and depression after a negative event. A goal-orientation m easure was developed (Study 1), and the predictive validity of the mod el was tested (Studies 2-5). Findings suggest that the explanatory and predictive power of the cognitive theories can be enhanced, and the a rsenal of the cognitive therapist enlarged, by integrating motivationa l and cognitive approaches to depression.