Early Thoughts and Beliefs About What Caused Mental Illness

Unit 3 Assignment
For this assignment, you will compare and contrast the early ways of thinking about psychological disorders to today’s current view and explain the multi-dimensional model and the major approaches (theorized causes) of mental illness. Be sure to use APA writing style, double space, and complete the assignment in 2 to 3 pages or a minimum of 9 paragraphs. When completed, submit to the Unit 3 Assignment.
Early Beliefs
In 1 paragraph, explain what early thoughts and beliefs existed about what caused mental illness.
Early thoughts and beliefs about the causes of mental illness were largely based on the idea that mental illness was the product of supernatural forces and demonic possession. This led to primitive treatment practices such as trepanning, which involved drilling holes into the skull in an effort to release the offending spirit (Jutras, 2017). For example, during the Middle Ages, mental illness was often thought to be caused by demonic possession or an imbalance of the four bodily humors, as proposed by the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that mental illness was caused by an imbalance of the four bodily humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. According to this belief, an excess of humor would result in a particular type of mental illness. For example, an excess of black bile was thought to cause melancholy or depression. Many victims of mental illness were subjected to physical restraint and solitary confinement in asylums.
Psychological Traditions
In 1 paragraph, describe how one of the Psychological Traditions helped further the beliefs about what causes mental illness (Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of the unconscious, humanism, or the behavioral model).
One of the psychological traditions that furthered the beliefs about what causes mental illness is Freud's theory of the unconscious. Freud believed that unconscious conflicts from early childhood experiences caused mental illness. He argued that these conflicts were repressed into the unconscious mind and could manifest as mental illness later in life. Freud's theory was a significant departure from the early beliefs about mental illness, as it moved away from the idea of supernatural causes and towards a more scientific explanation (Dean, 2023). Freud's theory also introduced the idea of psychoanalysis, which involved exploring the unconscious mind through techniques such as free association and dream analysis. This approach uncovered the underlying conflicts and brought them to the conscious mind to resolve them.
Multi-Dimensional Approach
In 1 paragraph, explain the idea of a multi-dimensional integrative approach and how it differs from a single approach to understanding the major causes of mental illness.
The rising acceptance that an intricate interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors causes mental illness is also called the multidimensional model of mental illness. Contrary to the single-dimensional perspective, whose focus is on one cause of mental illness, the multidimensional approach recognizes that manifold factors can develop mental diseases (Ogundele, 2018). Genetic predispositions, neurobiological abnormalities, early childhood experiences, personality traits, and environment...