Answered: dive into 2 different theories or…

Ciccarelli: Psychology_5 (5th Edition)

5th Edition

ISBN:9780134477961

Author:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Publisher:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Chapter1: The Science Of Psychology

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1TY

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Question

dive into 2 different theories or viewpoints about the mental illness itself. For example, if you are looking at substance abuse disorder, you may look at the disease model of addiction versus the psychosocial model. You can discuss the pros and cons of each perspective.

Expert Solution

Models of mental illness

When we think of mental illness, we paint a picture of the distress it causes and the social and psychological consequences of living with such illness. However, what is perhaps more important to think about and address is the underlying cause of the illness. The causes of mental disorders have been discussed by various psychologists and physicians over many centuries, and they can be grouped into several models of mental illness that we know today.

Some of the models of mental illness are as follows:

The biological viewpoint: This viewpoint elaborates on the role of neurotransmitters, hormones, and genetic factors in the causation and maintenance of mental disorders. Also important in this viewpoint are the roles of temperament and neural plasticity.
The psychodynamic viewpoint: This viewpoint discusses mental disorders in terms of our unconscious needs, desires, and motivations that influence behavior and often cause it to turn pathological.
The behavioral viewpoint: The behaviorists emphasized faulty learning and conditioning patterns as the root causes of mental disorders. They were not so concerned with the mental life of human beings as with the maladaptive contingencies that led to pathological behavior.
The cognitive viewpoint: The cognitive viewpoint went one step further and took into account the role of beliefs, ideas, and cognitions in the development and sustenance of mental illness.
The humanistic-existential viewpoint: The humanistic-existential viewpoint stressed two aspects of human life, namely, the creative potential of human beings, and the freedom and responsibility that human beings have to create meaning in their own lives. It located the origin of mental disorders in the lack of purpose and meaning and in the inauthentic mode of living that human beings endure.
The socio-cultural viewpoint: This viewpoint accounts for the role of social factors and institutional forces like poverty, unemployment, dysfunctional family, and oppressive cultural practices in the development of mental illness.
The diathesis-stress viewpoint: This viewpoint stressed the fact that for mental illness to develop, an individual must both have the genes predisposing them to a disorder as well as a dysfunctional environment that is conducive to pathological development. Having only one of these factors makes it less likely that the illness will develop, while a diathesis (co-occurrence) of the two greatly increases the chances.