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Chapter 2
An Integrative
Approach to
Psychopathology
Amber Gilewski
Tompkins Cortland Community College
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

Multidimensional Models



Interdisciplinary, eclectic, and integrative
“System” of influences that cause and
maintain suffering
Draws upon information from several
sources
Genetic Contributions to
Psychopathology

Nature of Genes

Genes do not dictate behavioral outcomes

Genes create a predisposition or likelihood

Development and behavior is often polygenic


Interaction between genetic factors &
environment (i.e. nature and nurture)
New developments in study of genes/behavior

Less than 50% is genetic contribution
The Interaction of Genetic &
Environmental Effects

The Diathesis-Stress Model
 Examples: blood-injury-injection phobia, alcoholism

Reciprocal Gene-Environment Model


Examples: Depression, sensation-seeking
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
The Central Nervous System (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord
-processes information received from sense
organs
Neurons

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 (terminal buttons)– Buds at end
of axon from which chemical messages are sent
Synapses – Small gaps that separate neurons
The Structure
of the Brain


Two Main Parts

Brainstem - automatic functions

Forebrain – more advanced systems
Main Divisions

Hindbrain – medulla, pons, cerebellum

Midbrain – reticular activating system

Diencephalon – transmits info to forebrain

Teleencephalon – base of forebrain, limbic
system
The Structure
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)
The Structure of the Brain
Forebrain (Cerebral Cortex)


Most sensory, emotional, and cognitive
processing
2 specialized hemispheres – left & right
Major Structures of the Brain
Fig. 2.6b2, p. 47
The 4 Lobes
 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
Neurotransmitters &
The Brain


Brain circuits – pathways of neurotransmitters
Drug therapies – increase or decrease flow of
neurotransmitters

Agonists - mimic neurotransmitters

Antagonists - act against/block neurotransmitters

Inverse agonists -like agonists, but opposite effect

Most drugs are either agonistic or antagonistic
Main Types of
Neurotransmitters

Serotonin (5HT) – affects mood, behavior,
thought processes

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) –
inhibits behavior and emotions, esp. anxiety

Norepinephrine – endocrine system,
contributes to mood and arousal

Dopamine – controls voluntary movements,
related to schizophrenia & Parkinson’s
Manipulating Serotonin in the Brain
Fig. 2.11, p. 52
Mental Illness in Social Context


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How does the context of the situation
influence our interpretations about
mental illness?
What does this story say about the
stigma of mental illness?
What does it say about the potential
dangers of one-dimensional models?
Can you come up with other behaviors
that would have been misinterpreted in
this situation?