The biopsychosocial approach

As its name suggests, the biopsychosocial
approach seeks to understand psychopathology by examining the interactive
influences of biology, cognitive processes, and learning. This is the
most popular model of psychopathology and, in its most basic form, is also
referred to as the diathesis-stress model. A diathesis is a predisposing factor,
and the diathesis may be biological or psychological. When discussing biological
diatheses, most theories assume that the diathesis is present at birth.
A problem with the regulation of neurotransmitters, which may lead to
schizophrenia or depression, is one example. An example of a psychological
diathesis is when a person’s style of thinking predisposes him or her to a disorder.
For instance, pessimism—minimizing good things that happen, maximizing
negative events, and attributing failures to personal defects—may
predispose a person to depression. The stress aspect of the diathesis-stress
model refers to the negative life experiences of the person. An early, chaotic
family environment, child abuse, and being raised or living in a high-crime
neighborhood are examples of stressful environments. From this perspective,
a person will develop a disorder who has a predisposition for the disorder,
in combination with certain life experiences that trigger the disorder.
Because the biological, learning, and psychological approaches have all
contributed to the understanding of psychopathology, it is no surprise that
most psychologists want to combine the best of each approach—hence, the
biopsychosocial model. Given the present state of knowledge, each model
represents more of an assumption about how psychopathology develops
rather than a single theory with widespread scientific support. For virtually every
psychological disorder, psychologists debate the causes of the disorder. 679