The depressive concepts of happiness

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The depressive concepts of happiness

Halyna Handzilevska

The National University of Ostroh Academy

Uliana Nikitchuk

The National University of Ostroh Academy

In this article, the authors examine the problem of experiencing difficult life situations by persons with subclinical symptoms of depression through the prism of their mental representation of the problem of reaching happiness. The study empirically grounds on following: qualitative research (multiple case study) of subclinical depression; quantitative research of adaptation of Ukrainian migrants with high rates of depressiveness. On the basis of a multiple case study it is deduced that depressive concepts of happiness tend to be: 1) rigidly concentrated on the only one aspect of life; 2) over-demanding (especially toward others) to that extent that happiness seems unreachable; 3) over-evaluated, that can increase frustration and anxiety; 4) accompanied by expectation that happiness should occur itself. Impatience and whimpering are defined as peculiar feature of how a person with subclinical symptoms of depression passes through actual obstacles in reaching happiness. Considering these features, the depressive concepts of happiness appears to be quite infantile, therefore researches analyze the problems of persons with subclinical depression through the prism of the concepts of psychological infantilism. Specific presuppositions that underlie infantile expectations which had been explored during the study are revealed in the article. The quantitative study of migrants' adaptation supports the theses of the childish nature of the depressive concept of happiness. Childhood scenario decisions and internalized parents' drivers that are significantly related to depressiveness are given. The study highlights the role of biases and childhood decisions in irrational thinking of persons with subclinical symptoms of depression. These findings can contribute to understanding the problem of their social development.

Keywords: subclinical depression, childhood scenario decision, irrational cognitions, infantilism, whim.

Галина Гандзілевська, Уляна Нікітчук

ДЕПРЕСИВНІ КОНЦЕПЦІЇ ЩАСТЯ

У цій статті автори розглядають проблему переживання складних життєвих ситуацій особами з субклінічними симптомами депресії крізь призму їх ментальної репрезентації проблеми досягнення щастя.Дослідження емпірично ґрунтується на якісному дослідженні (множинний аналіз випадку) субклінічної депресії та кількісному дослідженні адаптації українських мігрантів з високим рівнем депресивності. На підставі результатів аналізу випадків виснувано, що депресивна концепція щастя характеризується: 1) ригідною зосередженістю на єдиному аспекті життя; 2) надвимогами (особливо щодо інших) до такої міри, що щастя здається недосяжним; 3) надцінністю для суб 'єкта, що може підвищувати фрустрацію й тривогу; 4) очікуваннями, що щастя має статися само собою. Нетерплячість і капризування виокремлено як властиві ознаки переживання людиною із субклінічною депресією актуальних перешкод у реалізації бажаного.З огляду на ці ознаки, депресивна концепція щастя виступає як доволі інфантильна, тож дослідниці аналізують проблеми людей з субклінічною депресією також крізь призму концепцій психологічного інфантилізму.У статті розкрито виявлені в ході дослідження специфічні пресупозиції, що лежать в основі інфантильних очікувань.Кількісне дослідження адаптації мігрантів підкріплює тези про дитячу природу депресивної концепції щастя.Подано дитячі сценарні рішення та інтерналізовані батьківські драйвери, що найбільш значуще пов'язані з депресивністю.Дослідження підкреслює роль похибок судження і дитячих рішень в ірраціональному мисленні осіб з субклінічними симптомами депресії.Ці висновки можуть сприяти кращому розумінню проблеми їх соціального розвитку.

Ключові слова: субклінічна депресія, дитяче сценарне рішення, ірраціональні когніції, інфантильність, каприз.

Introduction

Although traditionally depression is an affair of clinical psychology, related issues such as depressiveness, subclinical depressive states etc. are the subjects of other areas of psychology as well as an interdisciplinary discourse. The fact that depression in a wide range of manifestations is associated with motives - the core of personality which directs all mental processes and reflected in all products of person's activity - makes it obvious that it requires studying from different prospects. While depressive disorder have been being productively studied for decades, subclinical and non-clinical depressive states have become a subject of scientific interest relatively recently; a few studies concentrate mainly on distinguishing clinical and subclinical symptoms [16]. Since subclinical depressive states and subjective feeling of depression can appear as an individual response to a difficult life event, a radical change of life circumstances, surroundings, unresolved childhood difficulties, physical stress from chronic illness, frustrated needs and so on and so forth, they worth more thorough studying than it is conducted nowadays. Whereas depressive states which don't meet the criteria for clinical depression are in scientific shadow, such researches as ours are relevant.

Methodologically based on cognitive approach, this study focuses on irrational cognitions of a person with subclinical depression which, in obedience to A. Beck, can lead to negative feelings and decline of motivation and self-esteem [3]. According to our systematic preliminary observations of people in subclinical depressive states, apart from changes in the level of motivation (lack or absence of interests, activities etc.), there are some specific content distortions in motifs still in the normal range which we hypothetically assume to have to do with other symptoms. Since a person's needs as a content of motivation are reflected in the image of the desired future, we consider her concept of happiness to be an interesting issue to investigate in the outlined context. Thus, the purpose of this article is to present the results of the two-stage study of depressive concepts of happiness.

1. Happiness on a whim: a multiple case study of subclinical depression

This qualitative study is based on data collected by U. Nikitchuk during last two years of an individual psychological counseling within the Institute of Applied Psychology and Psychotherapy of the National University of Ostroh Academy. All the participants signed a permission to use materials of their cases for educational and scientific goals with anonymity provided. Thus, the ethics of the research were followed. mental representation subclinical depression

The first tissue worthy of note is that previously mentioned difficult life events in these five cases are related to loss of relationships. It's known that events involving loss are particularly likely to cause symptoms of depression, especially if the individual is already vulnerable [11]. A. A. Yttredahl with colleagues [23] points out that women with depression (meaning major depressive disorder) are hyperresponsive to rejection. There is also evidence, according to J. Allen and colleagues [1], that subclinical depression predicts with high probability different social sequelae such as loneliness, difficulties in specific family and romantic relationships. Aside from the concern about the character of connection among depression and strong difficulties of experiencing loss of relationships, we should outline that this connection exists. Since our multiple case observations are agreed with these theses we treat the connection revealed as meaningful. Thus, the content of motivation of person with subclinical depression while experiencing loss is reflected in the image of the desired future and reduced to the resumption of relations.

Methodologically based on cognitive approach, our case study revealed some other features of desires and dreams of participants that we assume to indicate specific depressive concepts of happiness. Namely:

1. A person totally relates her emotional comfort to realization of one desire, the dearest wish. This is a kind of rigid thinking and overevaluated idea fixed on the only one sphere of life.

2. The desire fulfillment of which is associated with happiness is obviously unrealistic. They say «Woulda, coulda, shoulda...» as a mix of regret on something that have already happened and strong desire to turn back time or change other person's choice according to own needs. The difficulty is that in all five cases persons paradoxically stand on this desire as if it relates to future instead of past. That is why we assume superficial thinking of people with subclinical depression.

3. There are some strict and infantile expectations concerning the moment (should have been already reached or should emerge right now) and the subject (should occur itself) of 'happiness delivery'.

4. An infantile way to express own desires as if a person was a capricious baby. While communicating these infantile needs people regressed non-verbally to such childish behavior as pouting, stomping, whimpering.

These are the key reasons why we came up to call this concept of happiness «happiness on a whim». One of definitions of 'on a whim' in dictionaries is: «without careful planning or because of a capricious inclination» [21]. Like «I want it and it should have happened because I want it». The definition 'on a whim', to our opinion, describes both content and procedural aspects of happiness concept. However, one trait of caprice or whim which is spontaneous change of desires and inclinations is not represented here as our participants are fixed on their desire even too much, being sad, blue, hopeless etc. Their psychological condition may be even closer to a 'megrim' than to a 'whim'. Here we should emphasize that all taken together: lack of planning, superficial judgments, infantile expectations, unwillingness to wait, demands toward others and world, - all these descriptions of depressive persons' desires make a general impression of some phenomenon within caprice row. Probably, we should leave this linguistic issue to professionals in this sphere and open further discussion on the point by this article.

S. Maksimova's (2006) [12] concepts of scenario decision and scenario ban which laid the foundation for the second (quantitative) part of our research.

1. «If someone promises something, he (she) keeps the promise».

2. «If I sacrifice (serve), then my wishes come true».

3. «If I visualize something, then the reality follows my images».

2. Depressiveness and childhood scenario decisions: quantitative research of migrant's adaptation

Since a major concern about the information derived from a case study is the generalizability to other individuals or situations [10] we decided to compare our conclusions with results gained from the quantitative research of migrants' adaptation by H. Handzilevska wich ditto regard an issue of happiness, wellbeing, experiencing loss, adaptation to new life situation, of subconscious childhood decisions.

Table 1

Significant correlations between depressiveness and childhood scenario decisions

Apart from childhood scenario decisions, S. Maksimova distinguishes internalized parents' drivers [12] that, as a reader can see in Table 2, also correlate with depressiveness. These are kind of strong inner prescriptions (that are perceived as the key to wellbeing) to be perfect, to be strong, to hurry up (which is certainly about impatience).

Significant correlations between depressiveness and internalized parents' drivers

The connection between perfectionism and depression have been revealed pretty long time ago [8], high level of self-demand in its relation to depression is also known [22], impatience is discussed above. All these findings strengthen the theses of infantile nature of depressive concept of happiness.

Concluding thoughts

All the observations and measurements presented above make us hypothetically assume that specific irrational concept of happiness could lead to depressive symptoms when the needs are frustrated. These results support our previous thesis about the precession of childhood concepts of happiness (with an accent on safety) over a further response to life difficulties and frustration of needs.

Список литературы

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2. Baron, J. (2012). The point of normative models in judgement and decision making. Frontiers in psychology, 3, 577. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00577.

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17. Pasichnyk, I., Handzilevska, H., & Nikitchuk, U. (2017). Psychological immunity of Ukrainian migrants depending on childhood scenario sets. Psychological Prospects Journal, (30), 145-156. doi: 10.29038/22271376-2017-30-145-156.

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REFERENCES

1. Allen, J., Chango, J., Szwedo, D., & Schad, M. (2014). Long-term sequelae of subclinical depressive symptoms in early adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 26 (1), 171-180. doi:10.1017/- S095457941300093X.

2. Baron, J. (2012). The point of normative models in judgement and decision making. Frontiers in psychology , 3, 577. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00577.

3. Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press.

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5. Cuijpers, P., Koole, S., Van Dijke, A., Roca, M., Li, J., & Reynolds, C. (2014). Psychotherapy for

subclinical depression: Meta-analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 205 (4), 268-274. doi:10.1192/-

bjp.bp.113.138784.

6. Drummond, L. (2014). Depression. CBT for Adults: A Practical Guide for Clinicians. Cambridge: Royal College of Psychiatrists, 113-134.

7. Goulding, R. L., Goulding, M. M. (1997). Changing Lives through Redecision Therapy. New York: Grove Press Inc.

8. Hewitt P., Flett G., Ediger E. (1996). Perfectionism and depression: longitudinal assessment of a specific vulnerability hypothesis. J-l of Abnormal Psychology, 105 (2), 276-280.

9. Kahneman, D., Lovallo, D., & Sibony, O. (2011). Before you make that big decision. Harvard business review, 51-60.

10. Kazdin, Alan E. (2016). Research design in clinical psychology. Pearson Education.

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14. Parker, G., Hadzi-Pavlovic, D., Brodaty, H., Austin, M., Mitchell, P., Wilhelm, K., & Hickie, I. (1995). Sub-typing depression, II. Clinical distinction of psychotic depression and non-psychotic melancholia. Psychological Medicine, 25(4), 825-832. doi:10.1017/S0033291700035078.

15. Parker, G., & Manicavasagar, V. (2005). Irritability and non-melancholic depression. Modelling and Managing the Depressive Disorders: A Clinical Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 143-153. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511544194.018.

16. Parker, G., & Paterson, A. (2015). Differentiating 'clinical' and 'non-clinical' depression. Acta Psychiatria Scandinavica, 131 (6), 401-407. doi: 10.1111/acps.12385.

17. Pasichnyk, I., Handzilevska, H., & Nikitchuk, U. (2017). Psychological immunity of Ukrainian migrants depending on childhood scenario sets. Psychological Prospects Journal, (30), 145-156. doi: 10.29038/22271376-2017-30-145-156.

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20. Stringer, K. (2008). What is true infantilism? Psych 101 - What you didn't learn in nursing school, 320.

21. The free dictionary. Retrieved from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+a+whim.

22. Thew, G., Gregory, J., Roberts, K., & Rimes, K. (2017). Self-Critical Thinking and Overgeneralization in Depression and Eating Disorders: An Experimental Study. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 45(5), 510523. doi:10.1017/S1352465817000327.

23. Yttredahl, A. A., McRobert, E., Sheler, B., Mickey, B. J., Love, T. M., Langenecker, S. A., Hsu, D. T. (2018). Abnormal emotional and neural responses to romantic rejection and acceptance in depressed women. Journal of Affective Disorders, 234, 231-238. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.083.

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