Beck's cognitive triad, central to his model of depression, consists of negative automatic thoughts about which three domains?
- A Self, family, work
- B Self, environment (world), future ✓
- C Past, present, future
- D Body, mind, relationships
Correct answer: B. Self, environment (world), future
Explanation
Beck proposed that depressed patients hold systematic negative views of themselves (worthlessness), their environment or world (unfairness, failure), and their future (hopelessness). These form the cognitive triad targeted in cognitive therapy. Option C describes time frames rather than Beck's triad, and although hopelessness concerns the future, the triad is defined by content domains of self, world, and future, not a past-present-future sequence.
Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.
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