SOCIOCULTURAL
MODEL
Saleema, Nina, Jenna, and Deja
Outline
◦ Explaining Abnormality
◦ The Three D’s
◦ Therapies
◦ Example Disorder
◦ Prevention Terms
◦ Family Structures
◦ Assessing the Model
◦ Questions/ Bibliography
How Does the Sociocultural Model
Explain Abnormality?
◦ The Sociocultural model states that abnormal behavior
is defined by social forces.
◦ To understand behavior look to person’s social surroundings
Social surroundings are:
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Family structure
Communication
Cultural influences
Social networks
Societal conditions
Societal labels and roles
Distress, Deviance, and Dysfunction
Dysfunction
◦ Psychological problems can stem from a dysfunctional society
◦ There is a relationship between lower socioeconomic classes and psychological
abnormality
Deviance
◦ When someone strays from society, they’re labeled deviant
◦ The “mentally ill” label sticks and the person decides to accept and act to
their assigned role because that is what society expects
Distress
◦ A person’s friends and family can influence whether or not their behavior is
considered distressful
◦ If your society/culture values drinking then developing a dependency on alcohol
would not seem distressful
Therapies
Culture-Sensitive Therapy
◦ Approaches that seek to address the unique issues faced by members of minority groups
◦ These approaches include topics like raising the consciousness of minority group clients about the
impact of the dominant culture and of their own culture on their self views and behavior, helping clients
overcome language barriers, and aid clients in achieving a bicultural balance
Group Therapy/Self-Help Group
◦ A therapy format in which a group of people with similar problems meet together with a therapist to
work on those problems
◦ As a group they develop social skills, strengthen feelings of self-worth, and share information or advice
◦ (REMEMBER)
Family Therapy
◦ A therapist meets with all members of a family, points out problem behaviors and interactions and helps
the whole family to change
Therapies Cont.
Couple Therapy
◦ A therapy format in which the therapist works with two people who share a long-term relationship
◦ Couple therapy often focuses on the structure and communication patterns occurring in the
relationship
Community Treatment
◦ A treatment approach that emphasizes community care
◦ Allows clients, usually those with severe psychological difficulties, to receive treatment in familiar
surroundings as they try to recover
Example Disorder
For a patient suffering from anorexia, the Sociocultural model
would:
◦ Understand that a western society, that idolizes very thin women,
is likely a cause of this type of disorder
◦ Have the patient stay in a rehabilitation facility, designed like a
comfortable home environment, while getting treatment
◦ Have the patient participate in group therapy in order to get
support from patients of a similar disorder
Prevention
(HEY! You might want to remember these 3 terms)
Primary Prevention
◦ Consists of efforts to improve community attitudes and policies
◦ It’s goal is to prevent psychological disorders altogether
◦ To achieve this, community workers may protest for better community programs and/or consult with a
school board to help develop a curriculum
Secondary Prevention
◦ Consists of identifying and treating psychological disorders in early stages
◦ Community workers may work with influential members of the community to help them recognize the
early signs of a psychological dysfunction and instruct them in how to find treatment
Tertiary Prevention
◦ Goal is to provide effective treatment when needed so disorders do not become long term problems
Family Structures
(HEY! Also remember these short points)
◦ Enmeshed Family Structure- Family members are overinvolved in
each other’s lives
◦ Often produces abnormal children who have trouble with independency
◦ Disengaged Family Structure- Family members have rigid
boundaries between them
◦ Often produces abnormal children who have trouble asking for support or
functioning in a group
Assessing the Sociocultural Model
The Sociocultural Model’s Positive Influence
◦ The model has added to the understanding and treatment of abnormal functioning
◦ Today, most clinicians take sociocultural factors (family, cultural, social, and societal issues)
into account. These factors were overlooked just 30 years ago.
◦ Clinicians are more aware of the impact of social labels
◦ Sociocultural treatment works when other treatment approaches have failed
The Sociocultural Model’s Negative Influence
◦ Sociocultural research findings are often difficult to interpret. Research may reveal a
relationship between certain factors and a disorder yet fail to establish that they are its
cause.
◦ Inability to predict abnormality in specific individuals
◦ Because of these limitations, most clinicians view sociocultural explanations as operating
with biological or psychological explanations
Any Questions?
Bibliography
Comer, R. (1992). Abnormal psychology (5th ed.). New York: Freeman.