...To the Books
Submitted by smoreno on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 23:24.
A person's condition is diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). "The DSM lists specific and concrete criteria for diagnosing nearly 400 disorders in children, adolescents, and adults" (Ellen Pastorino & Susann Doyle-Portillo).
What causes psychological disorders?
This has been the question facing medical practitioners, theologians and psychologists for years. Since then, they have grown to understand these disorders through a cohesion of multiple theories. Diagnoses have been known to fall under more than one theory.
Theories, according to "What is Psychology? - Second Addition":
- Biological: Abnormal behavior is due to biological, genetic, and physical processes such as an imbalance in hormones neurotransmitters.
- Sociocultural: Abnormal Behavior is a result of social and cultural influences.
- Psychological:
- Psychoanalytic Perspective: Abnormal behavior is due to unresolved unconscious conflicts.
- Social Learning Perspective: Abnormal behavior is due to learning processes like classical and operant conditioning. It happens in response to environment.
- Cognitive Perspective: Abnormal behavior is due to thoughts, expectations, assumptions, and other mental processes.
- Humanistic Perspective: Abnormal behavior results from distorted perceptions of the self and reality.
Sources:
Pastorino, Ellen, and Susann Doyle-Portillo. What is
Psychology?. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, Inc,
2009. Print.
