You will prepare and submit a term paper on Etiology of Psychopathological Disorders Analysis. Your paper should be a minimum of 1750 words in length.

These researchers lobby for the consideration of cultural/interpersonal/social factors, which they believe is a key variable in understanding the etiology of mental disorders. Key to this school of thought, the social/cultural/interpersonal perspective, is the distinction between disease and illness. The disease is defined as an abnormality in the structure or functioning of body systems and organs whereas illness is defined as an experience of discontinuity in an individual’s state of being, and or in their perceived role performances (Eisenberg, 1977).

Proponents of this model theorize that psychopathology disorders have social significance and personal meaning only within the confines of a specific cultural context. As such, the term “mental illness” has ethnocentric connotations, which mental health practitioners should seek to understand, as it influences their insight on etiology, manifestation, and treatment of psychopathology disorders (Marsella, 1982). Of significance to this paper is this model’s description of the etiology of psychopathology disorders.

Understanding any concept mandates a review of its historical background. In this case, it is pertinent to review the theoretical frameworks antecedent to theories that emphasize the importance of understanding psychopathology disorders from a multi-cultural perspective. Initially, the absolutions position dominated mental health practitioners’ conceptualization of the etiology of mental disorders (Sam & Moreira, 2002). Theorists aligned with this position supported the bio-medical model, which presumed that a psychic unity existed.

According to them, an absolute truth explained human existence whereby it was possible to understand human experiences despite cultural diversity. In sum, these theorists believed in the synonymy of human experiences, which in turn predisposed them to negate the role of culture in influencing the semantics or manifestation of human behaviors. Therefore, it was common for them to use standardized instruments when diagnosing or treating psychopathological disorders (Sam & Moreira, 2002).