Psychopathology helps in discovering the processes responsible for adaptation and maladaptation and develop the best means possible in treating the problems. Through studies in the various factors that are responsible for the development of maladaptation, people at high risk of the diseases can be identified and treated appropriately. Maladaptation needs to be assessed openly with the idea that there is no particular theory that is responsible for all developmental problems. Thus, an integration of knowledge is necessary from various scientific disciplines. This essay discusses all the factors that influence the development of psychopathology.
Psychopathologists believe that people with disorders are likely to display a form of functioning that is either pathological or nonpathological. Additionally, people amid psychopathology are also likely to portray both adaptive and maladaptive processes. According to Sadocks et al. (2015), development occurs throughout an individual's course of life, in which both adaptive and maladaptive processes are likely to occur. Throughout an individual's life from infancy to adulthood, every period of life has a development agenda, which uniquely contributes to the past, present, and future organizations of a human's development. Thus all stages of an individual are consequential such that the developmental process could make a turn towards a mental disorder.
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Unlike other medical fields that depend on a diagnosis based on the diagnostic history, physical signs and symptoms, radiological tests, and laboratory results, the treatment in psychiatry depend on the clinician's impression of the client's explanation and interpretations of his feelings and thoughts. Thus, the patients’ signs and symptoms are then analyzed against the diagnostic classification manual such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The human brain is responsible for our emotions, cognitive processes, and behaviors. The early development of the human brain is influenced by various factors such as environmental, epigenetic, and psychological experiences. Thus, the human brain is responsible for integrating all these influences.
The biological factors influencing psychopathology can be divided into those dealing with the brain structure (neuroanatomy) and those concerned with brain functions. Biological studies carried out in psychopathology are an investigation of the biochemical correlates of mental illness. For instance, the neurotransmitter's role, which is carrying out messages between neurons and other cells is investigated (Sadock et al., 2007). Therefore, by establishing imbalances between the neurotransmitters one can associate them with psychological disorders. For instance, the dopamine levels in the human brain are associated with schizophrenia and psychosis. Additionally, biological approaches examine the role of the endocrine system which is responsible for the release of the hormones in the blood. Hormones affect an individual’s level of energy, moods, and reactions to stress, which are all significant factors in psychopathology.
There are interpersonal and cultural factors, which influence the development of psychopathology. An individual’s subjective interpretation of an event is likely to influence their emotions and their behaviors. One of the studies employed in understanding interpersonal relations is Bandura’s, which attempted to conceptualize an individual’s self-efficacy or the capability to engage in appropriate behaviors to impact significant life events (Sadock et al., 2007). In this approach, individuals’ beliefs about themselves that result due to the interaction with others can be unrealistic and self-defeating, which makes the application of rational emotive therapy necessary. Rational emotive therapy is developed under the concept that an illness originates from irrational negative beliefs about the world and oneself.
Freud is a theorist, who has greatly contributed to the development of psychopathology. Freud believed that psychopathology symptoms resulted from a compromise between an individual's conscious and unconscious forces which results in the traumatic events (Sadock et al., 2007). Freud believed that any desires that are not released through the actual behaviors lead to symbolic formations, which are shown while conforming to the reality principle. Some of the formations include dreams and fantasies. Thus, as a way of understanding the etiology of the symptoms, Freuds suggest that it is necessary to account for the unique history of an individual. According to Carlat (2016), neuropsychological examinations require the doctor to consider the degree to which long-standing personality and current stressors contribute to the patient's presentation. Therefore, mental illnesses can be overcome if people elaborate their unconscious wishes to do away with the various psychological conflict. Thus biological, social, and psychological factors contribute to the development of psychopathology.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-DSM-5 . (5 Ed.) American Psychiatric Publishing.
Carlat, D. (2016). The Psychiatric Interview . (4 Ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Sadock B. et al. (2007). Kaplan and Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/ Clinical Psychiatry. (10 Ed.) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
