ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 4
agoraphobia. Diana's other symptoms like hostility, unwanted thoughts, heart palpitations, and
sweaty palms are common in most disorders.
Cultural Factors
The causes of mental disorders are vast and inconclusive. However, scientists have outlines a
series of risk factors which are likely to lead to lead to psychological disorders. For instance,
culture has been known to play a significant role in forming, spreading, or managing these
disorders. Cross-cultural studies have helped to reveal the extent to which different cultures may
affect the prevalence of a mental disorder. According to Viswanath and Chaturvedi (2012),
culture has a series of effects on psychological disorders including pathogenic, patho-selective,
patho-elaborating, patho-facilitative, and patho-reactive impact. For example, patho-elaborating
effects tend to exaggerate behavioral reactions by reinforcing cultural characteristics. For
instance, in their study, Ireland showed a higher prevalence of schizophrenia than New Guinea.
In essence, Viswanath and Chaturvedi believe that some psychological behavior may be
characteristic of some cultures and wholly disregarded in others.
Gender Factors
Gender is also said to play a role in shaping or forming psychological disorders. Women and
men have different physiological traits. To be specific, each generates different hormones which
are said to impact cognitive and behavioral characteristics. For women, the frequent changes in
hormones at the various stages of life and cycles affect their behaviors, emotions, and even
process thought. According to Rossler (2016), these hormones are responsible for interpersonal
stressors, response to stress, lower self-esteem, and other emotional changes. A psychological
disorder may be manifested if women do not adequately cope with these changes. This is also
why women are also far more likely to develop stress than their male counterparts.
