Understanding Abnormal Behavior, 9th ed.

640 Pages·2010·26.95 MB·English

by  David Sue

MENTAL
DISORDER

Biological Dimension
Genetics, Brain Anatomy,
Biochemical Imbalances, Central
Nervous System Functioning,
Autonomic Nervous System
Reactivity, etc.

Social Dimension
Family, Relationships, Social
Support, Belonging, Love, Marital
Status, Community, etc.

Sociocultural Dimension
Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation,
Religion, Socioeconomic Status,
Ethnicity, Culture, etc.

Psychological Dimension
Personality, Cognition, Emotions,
Learning, Stress-Coping, Self-
Esteem, Self-Efficacy, Values,
Developmental History, etc.

Multipath Model of Mental Disorders

The multipath model describes how four major dimensions—biological,
psychological, social, and sociocultural—contribute to the development of
mental disorders. It operates under several assumptions:

• No one theoretical perspective is adequate to explain the
complexity of the human condition and the development of
mental disorders.
• There are multiple pathways and causes to any single disorder.
It is a statistical rarity to find a disorder due to only one cause.
• Not all dimensions contribute equally to a disorder.
• It is guided by the state of research and scientific findings as to
the relative merits of a proposed cause.
• The multipath model is an integrative and interactive one.
It acknowledges that factors may combine in complex and
reciprocal ways so that people exposed to the same factors may
not develop the same disorder and that different individuals
exposed to different factors may develop a similar mental
disorder.

Understanding
Abnormal
Behavior

David Sue
Western Washington University

Derald Wing Sue
Teachers College, Columbia University

Stanley Sue
University of California—Davis

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008926621

Student Edition:

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-15441-1

ISBN-10: 0-547-15441-0

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Understanding Abnormal Behavior
David Sue, Derald Wing Sue, Stanley Sue

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