Influences on Psychopathology
Influences on Psychopathology
The Role of Emotions
Definition of Emotion: An intuitive experience that motivates behavior; natural and not to be eliminated.
Indirect Influence on Psychopathology:
Suppressing natural emotions increases activity in the sympathetic nervous system, triggering a fight-or-flight response.
This heightened physiological arousal can contribute to psychological problems.
Many psychological theories and treatments focus on helping individuals stop avoiding and suppressing natural emotions, as suppression keeps people "stuck" in their disorders.
Direct Influence on Psychopathology:
Emotions can directly define or contribute to psychological disorders.
Example: A panic attack can be understood as a normal physiological fear response occurring in a situation that poses no actual threat.
Example: Manic episodes often involve intensely expressed, abnormal emotional states.
Cultural Influences on Emotion and Disorder
Culture significantly impacts our understanding and relationship with emotions.
Cross-Cultural Differences in Disorder Rates:
Mood and anxiety disorders are less common in China compared to the United States.
This difference is not due to:
Subjective Happiness: People in the US report being happier than those in China.
Reporting Bias: Reporting of highly stigmatized disorders like schizophrenia is equal between the two countries.
Instead, research suggests differences in how cultures experience and conceptualize emotions play a role.
Three Main Ways Cultures Differ in Thinking About Emotions (Western vs. Eastern):
Co-occurrence of Emotions:
Westerners: Tend to view the world in dichotomies (black/white, good/evil, self/other). Happiness and sadness are seen as mutually exclusive opposites. To be happy, one must avoid sadness at all costs.
Easterners: Are more open to experiencing contradictory emotions simultaneously (e.g., a touch of sadness on a happy occasion, finding moments of happiness during dark days).
Implication: Easterners find negative experiences less threatening because these don't prevent them from also feeling happy. This perspective, allowing negativity without interference, may contribute to lower rates of psychological disorders, even if subjective happiness is not higher.
Beliefs about How Emotions Change:
Westerners: Emotions are often viewed as stemming from a stable, intrinsic self. Negative emotions, if experienced by a self-identified