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Chapter 6 - Psychosocial Theories and Their Implications for Psychiatry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2025

By
Claudia Lex  and
Thomas D. Meyer
Edited by
Marsal Sanches  and
Jair C. Soares
Marsal Sanches
Affiliation:
McGovern Medical School, Texas
Jair C. Soares
Affiliation:
McGovern Medical School, Texas
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Summary

Psychiatry and clinical psychology are closely related disciplines, and both overlap and affect each other. However, psychiatry is also substantially influenced by more basic psychological theories. Learning theories starting with behavioral concepts have been used for understanding and treating anxiety and addiction, for example. Cognitive theory has had a major impact on treatments for depression and psychosis. Therefore, in this chapter, we will present five psychological theories (psychoanalysis, behaviorism, cognitive theory, social learning, and mindfulness-based concepts) that we regard as historically most influential and useful for psychiatry. In addition, the stress-vulnerability model and the humanistic psychology approach will be outlined. The former provides a general etiological model of almost all psychiatric disorders, whereas the humanistic ideas help conceptualize and establish therapeutic stance and a good client–provider relationship.

Keywords

Psychological theoriesPsychoanalysisBehaviorismLearning TheoryCognitive TheorySocial Learning TheoryMindfulness-based TheoryMeta-cognitive TheoryStrass-Vulnerability ModelHumanistic Psychology
Type
Chapter
Information
Fundamentals of Clinical Psychiatry
A Practical Handbook
 , pp. 39 - 49
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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