Cause Of Psychopathology

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Perception and Causes of Psychopathology By: Josiah Wilkerson PSYCH/650 October 30, 2014 Mary MC Greevy Perception and Causes of Psychopathology Psychopathology, what is it really? This paper will go into what psychopathology is and what causes it. There will be a brief overview of how culture is determining factor toward the expression of psychopathology. Following the brief overview will be an examination of the causes of psychopathology by using bio-psychosocial or the diathesis stress models. Concluding this paper will be an explanation of the changes in society’s perception of psychopathology as a function of historical time period. To grasp what psychopathology is, we must first learn what individuals outside of psychology believes…show more content…
The untrained individuals would look at psychopathology as being a study of mental disorders on the mere manifestation of different behaviors. However, we in the field of psychology would determine what is by going through the basics. It is commonly referred to as abnormal psychology which is the clear understanding of nature, certain treatments, and the many different causes. There are several ways in fact to where individuals in the field of psychology may use to explain psychology. For example, one psychologist may use descriptive psychopathology to which will strive to provide answers for symptoms or mental illness. Either way, psychopathology is formally used to study mental illness or the distresses which may be affecting an individual. The issues of the abnormal psychology will assist in the study by the way we would use it in the attempt to capture interest, trigger concerns, and demands our attention. It also brings us to form and ask certain questions pertaining to any study. Psychopathology is not the same as psychopathy, which has to do with antisocial…show more content…
These perspective viewpoints are known as emic perspective; however, the perspective pertains to specific psychopathologies in reference to culture. On a “cultural relativist perspective on the study of psychopathology may be important for several reasons. First of all, it may help in the development of culture-specific therapies. Second, it may provide valuable information about the psychological problems seen in particular cultures and their development as a function of the particular demands that culture places on individuals. Third, the studies of culture-bound syndromes, which are interesting in and of themselves, may help illuminate more general patterns of cultural values such as individualism or collectivism,” said plebius (2005). One major factor of culture is family, believe it or not, family genetic components plays a major role in culture. If one both parents of a child is dealing with a mental issue, there is a 46 percent chance the child will develop symptoms from the same mental disorder. Other environmental factors play a role in the culture background, like the buildup of stress, traumatic situations, and maternal illness. Plebius (2005) said, “The importance of knowledge of the particular cultural influences on psychopathology is highlighted by the fact that cultural influences can mean the difference between a favorable and unfavorable
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