Download Family Issues/Interactions

General principles in nature and
nurture
General Issues:
1. Individual differences in reactivity to
environment
2. Two-way interplay between people and their
environments (i.e. each impacts the other)
3. Need for ecological framework (look at
broader context)
4. People are reactive rather than just passive
5. People are active/evocative on their
environments
6. Individual characteristics change over time
Key Genetic Effects
• Substantially influential
• Most mental disorders are multidetermined
• Most mental disorders will involve
multiple genes
• Genetic influences may apply to
dimensional risk factors rather than
specific disorders
Key Environmental Effects
• Substantially influential
• Hard to know about which environmental
factors carry risk
• Some environmental effects are probably
mediated by genetics
Family Issues/Interactions
• One common dilemma faced by child
psychologists is determining who the
“client” is. Given that children are
typically brought to treatment by their
parents, how would you handle a child
who confides in you some illicit behavior
and asks you not to tell his or her parents?
Family issues/interactions
• Given our growing awareness of the
importance of cultural values and norms,
how can we reconcile the parenting
practices of parents from various cultures
living in North America (e.g. spanking,
using shame as discipline, alternative
medical approaches)