Chapter 2

An Integrative Approach to
Psychopathology
One-Dimensional vs.
Multidimensional Models

One-dimensional models
Explain behavior in terms of a single cause
Could mean a paradigm, school, or conceptual
approach
Tendency to ignore information from other
areas
One-Dimensional vs.
Multidimensional Models
(continued)

Multidimensional models
Interdisciplinary, eclectic, and integrative
System of influences that cause and maintain
suffering
Draws upon information from several sources
Abnormal behavior results from multiple
influences
Multidimensional Models of
Abnormal Behavior
Major influences
Biological
Behavioral
Emotional
Social & cultural
Developmental
Genetic Contributions to
Psychopathology
Phenotype vs. genotype
Nature of genes
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) the double helix
23 pairs of chromosomes
Dominant vs. recessive genes
Development and behavior is often polygenetic
Genetic contribution to psychopathology
Less than 50%
The Interaction of Genetic and
Environmental Effects
Eric Kandel and gene-environment
interactions
The diathesis-stress model
Examples: Blood-injury-injection phobia,
alcoholism
The Interaction of Genetic and
Environmental Effects (continued)
Reciprocal gene-environment model
Examples: depression, impulsivity
Non-genomic inheritance of behavior
Genes are not the whole story
Environmental influences may override
genetics
Neuroscience Contributions to
Psychopathology
The field of neuroscience
The role of the nervous system in disease and
behavior
Branches of human nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS)
Brain and spinal cord
The peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Somatic and autonomic branches
Neuroscience and the Central
Nervous System
The neuron
Soma cell body
Dendrites branches that receive messages
from other neurons
Axon trunk of neuron that sends messages
to other neurons
Axon terminals buds at end of axon from
which chemical messages are sent
Synapses small gaps that separate neurons
Neuroscience and the Central
Nervous System (continued)
Neurons operate electrically, but
communicate chemically
Neurotransmitters are the chemical
messengers
Overview: Neuroscience and
Brain Structure
Two main parts
Brainstem and forebrain
Three main divisions
Hindbrain
Midbrain
Forebrain
Neuroscience and the Divisions
of the Brain
Hindbrain
Medulla heart rate, blood pressure,
respiration
Pons regulates sleep stages
Cerebellum involved in physical coordination
Midbrain
Coordinates movement with sensory input
Contains parts of the reticular activating
system (RAS)
Neuroscience and the Divisions
of the Brain (continued)
Forebrain (cerebral cortex)
Most sensory, emotional, and cognitive
processing
Two specialized hemispheres
Neuroscience and Brain
Structure
Lobes of cerebral cortex
Frontal thinking and reasoning abilities,
memory
Parietal touch recognition
Occipital integrates visual input
Temporal recognition of sights and sounds,
long-term memory storage
Neuroscience and Brain
Structure (continued)
Limbic system
Thalamus receives and integrates sensory
information
Hypothalamus eating, drinking, aggression,
sexual activity
Neuroscience: Peripheral Nervous
and Endocrine Systems
Somatic branch of PNS
Controls voluntary muscles and movement
Autonomic branch of the PNS
Sympathetic and parasympathetic branches
Regulates cardiovascular system & body
temperature
Also regulates the endocrine system and aids
in digestion
Neuroscience: Peripheral Nervous
and Endocrine Systems (continued)
The endocrine system
Hormones
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenalcortical
axis (HPA axis)
Integration of endocrine and nervous system
function
Neuroscience: Functions of Main
Types of Neurotransmitters

Functions of neurotransmitters
Agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists
Most drugs are either agonistic or antagonistic
Neuroscience: Functions of Main
Types of Neurotransmitters
(continued)

Main types of neurotransmitters
Serotonin (5-HT)
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Norepinephrine
Dopamine
Implications of Neuroscience
for Psychopathology
Relations between brain and abnormal
behavior
Example: obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Psychosocial influences
Can change brain structure and function
Implications of Neuroscience
for Psychopathology (continued)
Therapy
Also can change brain structure and function
Medications and psychotherapy
Psychosocial factors
Interact with brain structure and function
The Contributions of Behavioral
and Cognitive Science
Conditioning and cognitive processes
Respondent and operant learning
Learned helplessness
Social learning
Modeling and observational learning
Prepared learning
The Contributions of Behavioral
and Cognitive Science (continued)
Cognitive science and the unconscious
Implicit memory
Blind sight
Stroop paradigm
The Role of Emotion in
Psychopathology
The nature of emotion
To elicit or evoke action
Action tendency different from affect and mood
Intimately tied with several forms of
psychopathology
The Role of Emotion in
Psychopathology (continued)
Components of emotion
Behavior, physiology, and cognition
Example of fear
Harmful side of emotional dysregulation
Anger, hostility, emotional suppression, illness,
and psychopathology
Cultural, Social, and Interpersonal
Factors in Psychopathology
Cultural factors
Influence the form and expression of behavior
Gender effects
Exert a strong and puzzling effect on
psychopathology
Social effects on health and behavior
Frequency and quality important
Related to mortality, disease, and
psychopathology
Stigma of Psychopathology
Culturally, socially, and interpersonally
situated
Life-Span and Developmental
Influences Over Psychopathology
Life-span developmental perspective
Addresses developmental changes
Influence and constrain what is normal and
abnormal
The principle of equifinality
From developmental psychopathology
Several paths to a given outcome
Paths vary by developmental stage
Summary of the Multidimensional
Perspective of Psychopathology

Multiple causation
Is the rule, not the exception
Take a broad, comprehensive, systemic
perspective
Biological
Psychological
Social, cultural, and developmental factors
Summary of the Multidimensional
Perspective of Psychopathology
(continued)

Comprehensive approach
Understanding the causes of psychopathology
To best alleviate and prevent psychopathology