Biosocial Theory is a theory in behavioral and social science that describes personality disorders and

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

es and

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

as biologically- determined personality traits reacting to environmental stimuli. Biosocial Theory also explains the shift from evolution to culture when it comes to gender and mate selection. Biosocial Theory in motivational psychology identifies the differences between males and females concerning physical strength and reproductive capacity, and how these differences interact with expectations from society about social roles. This interaction produces the differences we see in gender.

Description

M. M. Linehan wrote in her 1993 paper, Cognitive–Behavioral Treatment of

Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, distorted sense of self, and strong ...

, that "the biosocial theory suggests that BPD is a disorder of

self-regulation Self-regulation may refer to: *Emotional self-regulation *Self-control, in sociology/psychology *Self-regulated learning, in educational psychology *Self-regulation theory (SRT), a system of conscious personal management *Industry self-regulation, ...

, and particularly of emotional regulation, which results from biological irregularities combined with certain dysfunctional environments, as well as from their interaction and transaction over time"Linehan, M. M. (1993a
Cognitive–Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
New York: Guilford Press. The biological part of the model involves the idea that emotional sensitivity is inborn. As well as we have different sensitivities in our pain tolerance, in our skin, or in our digestion, we also have different sensitivities to our emotional reactions. This is part of our genetic makeup, but this alone does not cause difficulties or pathologies. It is the transaction between the biological and the social part, especially with invalidating environments, that brings problems. An invalidating environment is one in which the individuals do not fit, so it invalidates their emotions and experiences. It does not need to be an abusive environment; invalidation can occur in subtle ways. Emotional sensitivity plus invalidating environments cause pervasive emotion dysregulation which is the font of many psychopathologies. According to a 1999 article published by

McLean Hospital McLean Hospital () (formerly known as Somerville Asylum and Charlestown Asylum) is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. It is noted for its clinical staff expertise and neuroscience research and is also known for the large number of ...

References

{{reflist Psychotherapy Academy. (2021, October 5). The biosocial model in DBT: Emotion dysregulation and invalidating environments. Psychotherapy Academy. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://psychotherapyacademy.org/dbt/biosocial-model-in-dbt-how-symptoms-arise-and-are-maintained/

External links

An exposition on the drawbacks of viewing human creativity through the lens of the Biosocial Theory
by Steven Mizrachs.
Classical Conditioning, Arousal, and Crime: a Biosocial Perspective
(1997) by A. Raine. Psychological theories Sociobiology

Description

See also

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External links