Psychopathologies impact people’s behaviors and psychologies. Usually, their diagnoses are based on whether patients meet certain non-physical criteria or not. Therefore, their diagnoses and existence have been controversial in healthcare. In fact, initially, they were not taken seriously. They are still not well recognized in some cultures. Hence, understanding the biological, psychological, and social aspects of the pathologies may help professionals diagnose care and make people take them seriously enough to seek treatments. The biological aspects concern genetics and neurology, the psychological aspects concern changes in people’s behaviors and cognition, and the social and cultural aspects have to do with how the conditions affect and are affected by people’s interactions.
Biological factors impact how people’s psychology develops by affecting their responses to factors. People’s responses are affected by their genes and nervous system. Even though the exact genes that affect the different illnesses are not well understood, family histories have shown inheritance patterns in the flow of psychopathologies in families (Alshaya, 2022). For instance, people with depression and addiction have higher chances of having a family with similar problems. Gene transcription enables the formation of proteins that are necessary for many biological processes, such as signal transmission. For example, the SLC6A4 gene is for a serotonin transporter molecule that is needed to have enough levels of the neurotransmitter (Alshaya, 2022). Pathways that are impacted by serotonin are among the most targeted in pharmacological treatments. Hence, the genes that impact it and dopamine are important. The levels of the transmitters and hormones impact people’s tendencies and affect their psychopathological outcomes. Also, as people develop, their hormones shift. For instance, after pregnancy, people may have very low estrogen levels (Alshaya, 2022). the situation makes them prone to depression, and they may experience postpartum depression.
Psychological factors also influence psychopathologies. People’s behaviors and thinking affect their psychological health. Erikson’s theory describes different stages that are involved in how people mature psychologically (Suzuki & Yanai, 2020). Each stage involves behaviors that should be expected. Failure of people to behave accordingly may cause them not to resolve the conflicts that should happen at the time and cause psychopathologies. For instance, toddlers must develop some independence from their parents. Hence, they should be facilitated. Failing to facilitate their autonomy will lead to poor development. During adolescence, people seek more independence (Suzuki & Yanai, 2020). They must be freer than before. However, they should also be prevented from too much experimenting. For instance, they may abuse drugs. Abusing drugs causes addiction to develop.
The social and cultural factors concern how interactions and belonging may affect psychopathologies. During the various periods, people interact and nurture each other. For instance, toddlers need parents to help them. Even after they gain independence, people still rely on their connections to families and friends (Brown et al., 2020). Also, cultures determine behaviors and hence affect people’s coping. For instance, some cultures encourage drinking while others do not (Brown et al., 2020). Hence, alcohol addiction is likely to be a more serious issue in cultures that encourage alcoholism in those that do not. Also, exposure to bullying, child labor, schooling, and other activities that happen at social and interpersonal levels impact people’s psychological outcomes. For instance, bullying may cause depression. Hence, people’s social settings should be considered in determining the source of the pathologies.
In conclusion, psychopathologies are affected by people’s biology, psychology, and socialization. The various factors impact how people experience their world and hence impact their responses. Therefore, psychopathologies are actual illnesses that require treatments to return people to normal.
References
Alshaya, D. S. (2022). Genetic and epigenetic factors associated with depression: An updated overview. Saudi journal of biological sciences, 29(8), 103311.doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2022.103311
Brown, A., Barker, E. D., & Rahman, Q. (2020). A systematic scoping review of the prevalence, etiological, psychological, and interpersonal factors associated with BDSM. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(6), 781-811.https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1665619
Suzuki, S. I., & Yanai, Y. (2020). Psychosocial factors and traumatic events. In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 1797-1799). Cham: Springer International Publishing.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0_1716
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