Principles of Psychopathology - Essay Example

Impact of biological & social factors on the development of psychopathology Name: Subject: Teacher: Roll No: August 1, 2008 University Name Introduction Psychopathology could be defined as the study of mental sickness or mental imbalance and the affect that all of this has on the behaviors of a person. It also studies the behaviors, perceptions, and experiences that such people may have as an indication of their mental illness. The study of mental imbalance falls mainly into the hands of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. They are mostly involved with the patients having mental illness, the research in the field, origin, phases of development, manifestations of such states. Psychopathology may involve different studies within itself. An example of this could be, a neuroscientist might focus on the changes in the brain that could relate to the mental imbalance. Therefore, a psychopathologist might have relations with a number of professions and would have specialized studying in the area. There are different transitions to psychopathology. One transition is descriptive psychopathology, which describes the symptoms and syndromes of mental illness. It is for the diagnosis and creation of diagnostic systems. The study defines the signs and symptoms should be included in a diagnosis and the experiences and behaviors that should be a part of a diagnosis for example diagnosis of clinical depression, schizophrenia (Sims, 2002). Factors leading to Psychopathology Various factors could be responsible for the development of psychopathology. It could be individual stressors that could make a person vulnerable to mental imbalances. Emotional makeup, biological variables, genetic variables, various personality types, cognitive arrangements, interpersonal factors, and personality characteristics; all play an important part in fueling mental disorders. The cause of stress on a mentally imbalanced person could be different and they vary from person to person. It could be life-long depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, behavioral malfunctions, and there are even more serious problems that could result from various individual and social behaviors. Mostly, development of psychopathology is sequential and it gains strength with time. It may arise in the early years of childhood and then augment with age but all of this depends on two basic elements. Firstly, the exposure of the individual at the initial level to potential dangers leading to psychological problems; secondly, the experiences and stress laid on the individual and the type of stress. There are certain types of stressors that the individual has no control on. Those stressors are termed as external stressors; these include the biological makeup, household environment, social environment, financial status. Other forms of stressors that are effective on the behaviors of an individual are own actions of a person. These include a person’s own behavioral characteristics, communication and interaction with other people, interpersonal and social skills. The word ‘stress’ is also used to define biological stressors since the therapist has to make an informed decision of whether an individual requires only talk therapy or he needs psychotropic medication (Hankin & Abela, 2005). The life of a human being is full of experiences. The experiences and the perceptions are responsible for shaping the mental behaviors of a person. Psychopathology in people develops over a lifespan and various factors contribute towards its development. Such factors include various childhood adversities such as; sexual or physical abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and level of parenting, all of the factors collectively work for the development of various psychopathological problems. The most common reason for the development of mental disorders is abuse during the childhood (Raabe, 2006). It is particularly difficult to assume or predict the conditions that lead to the development of mental imbalances since individuals go through various situations all differing from each other significantly. Different people react differently to a trauma specific situation. It could be the case that sometimes a trauma might destroy the personality of a person and sometimes it might not affect another person at all (Finkelhor, 1995). The perception of an individual about winning and losing during the phases of his lifetime account for the development of psychopathology. Moreover, age also plays an important factor in helping the abuse take over a person. For example, sexual abuse is more likely to happen to sexually matured children especially girls. The affect of the factors mentioned above are also closely related with the person’s view of the situation. The perceptions that a person has about himself and about the incidents happening to him decide his responses and his mental conditions. It is often the case that when an individual believes that the responsibility of the abuses lies on his shoulders, then he is more likely to be affected more (Newberger & DeVos, 1988). In case of an abuse on a child, parents are also affected. A study found that all the parents of the affected children faced marital problems. Moreover, the trust on the adults was also lost (Davies, 1995). Parental Psychopathology Parental psychopathology is one of the most important factors leading to development of psychopathology in individuals particularly in children. Various researchers have included the study of parent-child relationship in the study of developmental factors (Abidin et al., 1992). The pathology of an individual has a significant impact on the social environment. The mental illness of parents interferes tremendously with the ability of parenting and the ability of providing their children with a secure environment for emotional and mental development. Hence, very few children of mentally ill parents are able to live a normal life (Quamma & Greenberg, 1994). This automatically increases the types of stresses that the child has to experience. A study examined children having conduct disorders. It found that all the children that had conduct disorders, their parents had high rates of psychopathology, marital problems, and other types of distresses (McMahon & Forehand, 1988). The study suggests that children of mentally ill parents are more prone to mental imbalances due to lack of support from the environment and family. Another study studied youth involved in drug abuse. The study too reached on the same conclusion that disorder in children increased with parental depression ((Luthar et al., 1993). The strongest link that the study found was between maternal depression and paternal alcoholism. Maternal depression was one of the only disorders that had direct association with psychiatric disorders in children. This suggests that parental psychopathology has a direct and indubitable impact on the behaviors of children. It is one of the most significant causes of development of psychopathology. One of the most common parental disorders is depression. Other diagnosis found anxiety as a common disorder (Goodyer et al., 1993). Theories in Psychopathology & Therapeutic processes Attachment Theory and its implications Attachment theory suggests that our early encounters with our caretakers shape our personality and our perceptions. It is responsible for the thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, associations, responses and reactions that a person has. When the theory was first proposed, it was a theory of psychopathology, normal development, and behavioral patterns. The theory focuses on the usual relationships between a child and a caretaker and the divisions of the attachment that resulted from the interactions. The theory also takes into account environmental factors and circumstances of life as important factors having an impact on the behaviors and perceptions of humans. However, the attachment theory lays incredible stress on the childhood attachments and interactions. It draws psychological outcomes and predicts behavior patterns based on this approach. The theory suggests that if the early childhood years were secure and the child was emotionally stable then it is more likely that the child would be resilient and robust, however, if the child had a difficult childhood then he would be insecure and would not be able to stand difficult times (Doktor, 2006). However, the early attachments are not viewed as being responsible for the development of psychopathology; rather they are responsible for initiating conditions. Therefore, they are responsible for the pathological development due to the environmental engagement and its impact. Moreover, the initial patterns of the infant-caregiver attachment and other factors play an important role in the developmental process via their affect on the neuro-physiological and affective regulation. This theory has now the backing of technological advancement. With the help of advancements in psychology and neurobiology, we can see that communicative interactions of an individual impact the maturity process and the functioning of the brain. The inherited genes of the children have a significant influence on their development, it also influences their characteristics of the nervous systems and their reaction and responses to the external world. The way a person perceives his world creates a biochemical reaction that leaves behind emotions, behavior and the development of the brain (Srouffe et al., 1999). Dynamic Systems theory Bowlby proposed this theory, which is very similar to attachment theory. It is based on complex interactions of constituents over a length of time. However, this theory also gives a special place to early interactions similar to attachment. It also signifies the importance of childhood interactions and theorizes that character depends on it a lot. It is also concerned with the normal course of attachment relationships and the normal attachment patterns (Bowlby, 1973). Figure formation and the contact boundary disturbances The theory states that when the contact boundaries of individuals are disturbed and they are not aware of it then the ability of distinguishing between different fields is also disturbed. This means that the person would not be able to distinguish the field like he would have if the boundary had not been altered. The person might mistake one thing for another and might mix things altogether. A more concise view of the picture develops when a figure emerges, develops, and is then destroyed. In each single instant, it provides an understanding the factors that are not functioning right (Bowlby, 1973). This theory is used in the therapeutic process by Gestalt therapists. Gestalt therapists regard body and mind as a single being and they consider the physical dimension of the individual as important as the emotional, spiritual, and cognitive dimensions. This whole concept was adopted by Gestalt therapists inspired from the work of Wilhelm Reich, a leading figure in German psychoanalysis in the 1920s and 1930s. The theorists also believe that the therapeutic process should be carried out on encounters as they appear and not before. This is in contrast to the conventional therapeutic method that estimates the behaviors o an individual and therapy begins o n the basis of tests and individuals. However, this method reduces the development of a theory of psychopathology (Joel, 1992). Conclusion If we look closely at all the theories, we would notice one common thing. All of these theories look at mental imbalances as curable and the result of interactions and problems that an individual had to go through. It is of particular importance that people with mental illness are given utmost importance and their treatments are handled very critically so as to increase their chances of leading a normal life. As we have seen, parental psychopathology is one of the most important causes of mental illness in children. Therefore, children of mental ill parents should be examined and dealt with care to minimize such individuals. References Sims, A. (2002) Symptoms in the Mind: An Introduction to Descriptive Psychopathology (3rd ed). Hankin and John R.Z. Abela. Development of Psychopathology. Sage 2005. Peter B. Raabe, Ph.D. (2006). Lifespan Development. Retrieved on August 1, 2008 from < > Finkelhor, D., 1995. The victimization of children: a developmental perspective. Am J Orthopsychiatry 65, pp. 177–193. Newberger, C.M. and DeVos, E., 1988. Abuse and victimization: a life-span developmental perspective. Am J Orthopsychiatry 58, pp. 505–511. Davies, M.G., 1995. Parental distress and ability to cope following disclosure of extra-familial sexual abuse. Child Abuse Neglect 19, pp. 399–408. Abidin, R.R., Jenkins, C.L. and McGaughey, M.C., 1992. The relationship of early family variables to children’s subsequent behavioral adjustment. J Clin Child Psychol 21, pp. 60–69. Quamma, J.P. and Greenberg, M.T., 1994. Children’s experience of life stress: the role of family social support and social problem-solving skills as protective factors. J Clin Child Psychol 23, pp. 295–305. McMahon, R.J. and Forehand, R., 1988. Conduct disorders. In: Mash, E.J. and Terdal, L.G., Editors, 1988. Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders (2nd edn. ed.),, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 105–156. Luthar, S.S., Merikangas, K.R. and Rounsaville, B.J., 1993. Parental psychopathology and disorders in offspring: a study of relatives of drug abusers. J Nerv Ment Dis 181, pp. 351–357 Goodyer, I.M., Cooper, P.J., Vize, C.M. and Ashby, L., 1993. Depression in 11–16-year-old girls: the role of past parental psychopathology and exposure to recent life events. J Child Psychol Psychiatry Allied Discip 34, pp. 1103–1115. Ray Doktor, Psy. D. Attachment Theory, Neurobiology, and Psychopathology. Retrieved on August 1, 2008 from < http://www.wholeminds.com/web/index.php?module=article&view=9> Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separa- ment of adolescent social competence: A prospective. New York: Basic Books. L. Alan Sroufe, Elizabeth A. Carlson, Alissa K. Levy & Byron Egeland. Implications of attachment theory for developmental psychopathology University of Minnesota. Latner, Joel. PhD, "The Theory of Gestalt Therapy.” Retrieved on August 1, 2008 from < http://www.aagt.org/html/chapter.HTM> Read More