DIATHESIS-STRESS MODEL
Psychology 1010
By: Nancy Tello
November 28, 2010
A psychological disorder can be influenced by biological, psychological and
environmental factors. Examples of biological causes are heredity, chemical imbalances and
malformations of the brain. Psychological factors are dysfunctional personalities, unsocial
tendencies, faulty learning and coping skills. Biological and psychological are both internal
predispositions. On the other hand, environmental causes are external and influenced by stress,
society and cultural differences. Psychological disorders are classified by using the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM. Currently, the edition in use is the fourth
edition that was published by the American Psychiatric Association in the year 2000(Schacter,
Gilbert & Wegner, 2011). This is a means of classifying certain psychological disorders by
therapists, analysts and researchers. The diathesis-stress model is a theory in which stress
promotes the development of a predisposed psychological condition that wasn’t previously
expressed. When classifying a mental disorder, psychologists take this theory very seriously. The
diathesis-stress model contributes to the overall understanding and classification of
psychological disorders by generating a sense of possible factors. The environment can bring
about certain predispositions in a person but isn’t necessarily the cause of the psychological
disorder.
DIATHESIS STRESS MODEL
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References
Schacter, D., Gilbert, D., Wegner, D. (2011) Introducing Psychology. Print.
New York, NY: Worth Publishers.