Chapter 2: An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

Multidimensional Integrative Approacho Approach to the study of psychopathology that holds psychological disorders as always being the products of multiple interacting causal factors

I.

One-Dimensional versus Multidimensional Models

Most scientists and clinicians believe abnormal behavior is systemic in nature o Implies that any particular influence contributing to psychopathology cannot be considered out of context o Context, in this case, is the biology and behavior of the individual, as well as the cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural environment, because any one component inevitably affects the other components This is a multidimensional model

II.

Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology

Geneso Long deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules, the basic physical units of heredity that appear as locations on chromosomes. Each normal human cell has 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs The first 22 pairs provide programs or directions for the development of the body and brain, and the last pair, determines an individuals sex Much of our development and, interestingly, most of our behavior, personality, and even intelligence quotient score are probably polygenic- that is, influenced by many genes, each contributing only a tiny effect, which, in turn, may be influenced by the environment Molecular genetics- focuses on examining the actual structure of genes with increasingly advanced technologies such as DNA microarrays; these technologies allow scientists to analyze thousands of genes at once and identify broad networks of genes that may be contributing to a particular trait The best estimates attribute about half of our enduring personality traits and cognitive abilities to genetic influence o 1997 study found heritability estimates for specific cognitive abilities, such as memory or ability to perceive spatial relations, ranged from 32% to 62%

A. The Nature of Genes

B. New Developments in the Study of Genes and Behavior

Chapter 2: An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

It has also become clear that adverse life events such as a chaotic childhood can overwhelm the influence of genes For psychological disorders, the evidence indicates that genetic factors make some contribution to all disorders but account for less than half of the explanation o If one of a pair of identical twins has schizophrenia, there is a less-than50% likelihood that the other twin will also o Similar or lower rates exist for other psychological disorders Behavioral geneticists have reached general conclusions un the past several years on the role of genes and psychological disorders o Specific genes or small groups of genes may ultimately be found to be associated with certain psychological disorders But as discussed earlier, much of the current evidence suggests that contributions to psychological disorders come from many genes, each having a relatively small effect o It has become increasingly clear that genetic contributions cannot be studied in the absence of interactions with events in the environment that trigger genetic vulnerability or turn on specific genes

C. The Interaction of Genes and the Environment