Background

• The behaviourist explanation says that all mental disorders are learnt and maintained through either reinforcement (operant conditioning), association (classical conditioning) or imitation (social learning theory). Many disorders can be explained in this way (not all).
• Classical Conditioning

  The pairing of one unconditioned stimulus with another conditioned stimulus can lead to the stimulus on its own being enough to produce the conditioned response of fear.

  The conditioning procedure involves a neutral stimulus (something that the patient doesn’t previously fear) becoming associated with an unpleasant experience, which produces the conditioned response of a phobia of that stimulus.
• An example of classical conditioning is Little Albert by Watson and Rayner. Albert showed no previous fears of items such as a rabbit and a rat but showed fear when a steel bar was struck with a hammer above him. When he was 11 months, he was presented with the rabbit and as he reached out a steel bar was struck. After this was repeated 5 times Albert would cry and crawl away from the rat alone. This showed that phobias can be learnt through classical conditioning.
• Operant Conditioning

  The consequences of different behaviours (known as reinforcers) shape subsequent behaviour. Humans learn by consequence: when behaviour is reinforced in the form of reward then we are more likely to repeat the behaviour. E.g. if someone gambles and has some success, their behaviour is reinforced, this can become addictive where the player enjoyed winning so much that they begin to develop a compulsive need to keep playing.
• Negative reinforcement

  The removal of an aversive/distressing experience such as if someone has a phobia of lifts gets to a lift door and experiences anxiety walks away and takes the stairs, the removal of anxiety is a reward so they will take the stairs again. Thereby reinforcing their phobia of lifts as they are still associated with a fear response.
• The cognitive explanation says that mental illness is the result of faulty thought processing. For example people with depression have different thoughts about themselves and the world. Aaron Beck suggested the negative cognitive triad that says depression is made up of a negative view of their self, the future, and the world. Beck theorised that a depressed person would automatically focus on negative information even if the majority was positive. Beck said people develop the triad through difficult early experiences and trauma.
• The psychodynamic explanation says that the unconscious mind is the source of mental illness due to early trauma and problematic relationships in childhood. It is a very unscientific theory and was developed by Sigmund Freud.
• Unresolved conflicts

  Freud thought that mental illness is a result of the id (gratification), ego (balance), and super ego (moral restraint). If our super ego becomes too strong then we will be overcome with guilt at everything leading to strained relationships and acute depression. The ego deploys coping mechanisms such as denial and repression. The development of the ego may be impacted by trauma (such a bullying) that will impact our adult behaviour.
• Cold rejecting mothers

  Freud says that if our mother was cold and rejecting it will lead to a weak, ineffective ego so the demands of the id cannot be controlled. This leads to schizophrenia as their fantasies become so strong they cannot distinguish with real life so they develop hallucinations and delusions.