Integrative Approach

Model in Psychology

An explanation or framework used to understand why abnormal behavior develops

Limitation of one-dimensional model

Previous belief that one primary influence leads to abnormal behavior

Integrative Approach

Combines biological, psychological, and social factors to provide a comprehensive understanding of mental health and psychopathology

Biological Influences

Explores how genetics, brain chemistry, and psychological responses impact mental health

Behavioral Influences

Focuses on how behaviors are acquired through learning and conditioning

Emotional/Psychological influences

Examines how our inner psychological processes contribute to abnormal behavior and emotional distress

Social/ Cultural Influences

Highlights that mental health cannot be understood in isolation from a person’s broader social context

Developmental Influences

Considers how age and life stages affect vulnerability to psychological disorders

Environmental Influences

Looks at external stressors such as life events, trauma, and living conditions impact their mental well-being

Previous Model

Genetic determinism, genes cause behavior

Modern Framework

Diathesis-stress model, gene-environment interaction

Functional units of Heredity

Act as fundamental biological instructions coding for proteins that directly influence both physical and complex psychological traits

Environmental Activation

Act as dynamic switches that regulate gene expression

Multigenic Nature of Disorders

Psychological disorders are polygenic, involving complex interconnected networks of multiple genes working together

Genetic vulnerability

Pre-existing sensitivity you’re born with making mental health disorders more likely, but not a guaranteed cause

Diathesis-stress model

Diathesis (biological/genetic vulnerability) + Stress (Environmental triggers & life events) = Psychological disorders (exacerbated or triggered outcome)

Heritability

Differences between people in a large group that explains the population statistic due to genetic differences

Gene-Environment Correlation

Demonstrates that our environments are not random, but deeply intertwined with our genetic makeup across developmental phases: Passive, Evocative, Active

Passive rGE

Children inherit genetics and household environments, DNA and setting chosen by parents

Evocative rEG

When genetic traits trigger specific reactions from other people, teacher vs coach reaction to hyperactive students

Active rEG

Niche-picking occurs when independence is gained and people begin choosing environments based on genetic personality traits, active students pick Extreme sports vs shy students pick Chess club

Epigenetics

study of changes in gene expression and cellular phenotype that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence.

Environmental Override

research demonstrates that strong, positive environmental factors can override genetic predispositions.

Epigenetics & Non-Genomic Inheritance formula

Genetic Vulnerability (predisposition to stress response) > Protective Environment (responsive caregiving & enrichment) > Mitigated Phenotype (genes silences, stress reduced)

Psychiatric Genetic Counselor

Helps patients understand that genetic risk for conditions like depression is polygenic and typically accounts for less than 50% of the variance.

Clinical Psychologist

Utilizes the Reciprocal Gene-Environment model to help patients recognize harmful behavioral patterns and environmental triggers

Developmental Neuroscientist / Epigenetics Researcher

Evaluates how environmental interventions, such as improved parenting or stress reduction, create measurable changes in gene expression and cellular function.

Neuroscience Contributions to Psychopathology

Exploring how the brain, nervous system, neurotransmitters, and life experiences interact to influence behavior, cognition, emotion, and mental health disorders.

Peripheral Nervous System

Include nerves and connecting structures, break off into somatic and autonomic nervous systems, ANS breaks off into Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

Central Nervous System

Includes brain and spinal cord, processes information, coordinates responses, and supports thinking, emotion, memory, and movement

Sympathetic Branch

Fight or flight, fast reacting, increased heart rate & pupil dilation

Parasympathetic Branch

Rest and digest, fast reacting, decreased heart rate & muscle relaxation

HPA Axis

Delayed regulation the body’s hormonal response to acute & persistent stress

Hypothalamus

Initiates the hormonal stress-response cascade.

Pituitary Gland

Releases Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) into the bloodstream.

Adrenal Cortex

Releases Cortisol following stimulation by ACTH.

Short-term adaptation

Mobilizes energy and helps the body adapt to immediate challenges.

Persistent & Chronic stress

Repeated activation can alter sleep patterns, mood stability, attention, and memory circuits

Soma

cell body, contains the nucleus

Dendrites

branch-like structures that receive messages from other neurons.

Axon

a long trunk that transmits electrical impulses away from the soma. Terminal: at the end of the axon, release chemical messengers.

Synapses

small gaps separating neurons, allowing the brain to process information and regulate mood.

Serotonin

Regulates mood, sleep cycles, appetite, and cognitive processing. Relevant to depression and anxiety research; however, depression is NOT simply 'low serotonin'.

Dopamine

Drives motivation, reward learning, motor control, and perceptual salience. Dopamine pathways are implicated in psychosis and schizophrenia; loss of dopamine neurons causes Parkinson's disease.

Norepinephrine

Controls alertness, arousal, vigilance, and stress responses. Studied in ADHD, depression, and hyperarousal symptoms.

Glutamate

Primary excitatory signal in the central nervous system. Plays a vital role in learning, memory formation, and synaptic plasticity. Glutamatergic signaling abnormalities are investigated in schizophrenia, mood disorders, and excitotoxicity.

GABA

Primary inhibitory messenger in the adult brain. Helps dampen overactive neural signaling to regulate anxiety, muscle tone, and sleep. Target for anti-anxiety  medications (anxiolytics) and sleep aids.

Martin Selligman’s Model

Learned helplessness occurs when individuals repeatedly face uncontrollable, adverse events and eventually stop trying to avoid them, even when opportunities for change arise.

Learned Helplessness characteristics

Perceived Lack of Control: Believing actions have no impact on outcomes. Passivity: Giving up and ceasing efforts to escape negative events. Decreased Problem-Solving: Reduced capability to learn adaptive behaviors.

Albert Bandura’s Social Learning

Bandura’s SLT states that behavior is learned from the environment through observational learning. This process involves four key sequential steps: Attention, Retention, Reproduction, and Motivation

Bandura’s key concept

Individuals are significantly more likely to adopt modeled behaviors if the model is relatable or if the observed behavior is rewarded rather than punished.

Prepared Learning

suggests that our evolutionary history makes us biologically predisposed to learn certain associations more easily than others. This survival mechanism accelerates fear conditioning to protect against ancient environmental threats.

Innate vs. Conditioned fear

Evolutionary fears are hardwired into our biology, while modern risks require cognitive learning and direct experience. For example, humans quickly develop phobias of snakes, spiders, or heights, but rarely of modern dangers like cars or electrical outlets.

Automaticity

The unconscious mind handles complex tasks through automaticity (previously established functional process), allowing us to process information rapidly without conscious effort.

Schemas

Mental frameworks that organize knowledge and guide expectations based on past experiences to streamline visual and situational understanding.

Implicit Cognition (Memory)

Influences our attitudes and behaviors below the surface of awareness, quietly driving quick everyday judgments and ingrained habits.

Cognitive Science & the Unconscious

Our brains rely on mental shortcuts and automatic processes

Theories of Emotion

explaining how physiological reactions and emotional experiences connect.

James- Lang Theory (Late 1800s)

Proposed by William James & Carl Lange, Sequence: Stimulus → Physiological Response → Emotion

Causal Link: Physical response causes emotion (feel afraid because you tremble).

Body's Role: Autonomic feedback is the direct source of emotional feeling.

Cannon-Bard Theory (1920s)

Proposed by Walter Cannon & Philip Bard, Sequence: Stimulus → Response & Emotion (Simultaneous)

Causal Link: Response & emotion occur independently in parallel.

Body's Role: Brain (thalamus) triggers bodily reaction & feeling at once.

Subjective Experience

What you feel- Interpretation: How an individual interprets a situation. Example: Two students receive the same grade; one feels proud, while the other feels disappointed.

Physiological Experience

What your body does- Body Reactions: The physical reactions occurring automatically in your body. Examples: A racing heart, sweaty palms, or muscle tension.

Behavioral Response

What you do - Expression: How you express the emotion outwardly to the world. Examples: Smiling, speaking quickly, withdrawing, or asking for help.

Emotion

Shorter-lasting and higher intensity. Has an identifiable trigger (e.g., feeling upset immediately after an argument).

Mood

Longer-lasting and lower intensity. May have no obvious single cause (e.g., feeling gloomy throughout the entire day).

Paul Ekman’s Research

Identified six basic emotions recognized across all cultures: Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Surprise, and Disgust.

Cultural Influences

While basic emotions are universal, cultural norms heavily shape emotional display, intensity, and appropriate social expression.

Gender Influences

Gender socialization influences emotion regulation and outward expression, directly impacting clinical presentation and vulnerability in psychopathology.