The Diathesis-Stress Model
diathesis
A biological or psychological predisposition for a disorder.
developmental psychopathology
A field of study that focuses on how problems that first appear in childhood or adolescence are linked to disorders occurring later in life.
diathesis-stress model
A model that explains how a mental disorder can result from the interaction of a predisposition (diathesis) for a disorder with a trigger (stressor) that converts the predisposition into the actual disorder.
biopsychosocial model
A view that explains illness as the outgrowth of biological vulnerability, psychological processes, and social conditions.
stressor
Any event that requires a person to adjust.