4 Levels Of Explanation In Psychology

HEALTHY MINDS PRESENTATION.

General background information
How is the disorder diagnosed?
Introduce the concept of the 4 levels of explanation (briefly describe the 4 levels)
Using the 4 levels of explanation in psychology, explain/describe
The symptoms and/or causes of the disorder at each of the 4 levels
The various treatments for the disorder at the 4 levels and comment on the effectiveness of each treatment

GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Anxiety is an automatic response to perceived threats that allows us to do what is necessary in order to protect ourselves when we encounter danger. While it is necessary to some extent, anxiety becomes a disorder when symptoms interfere with our daily lives and affect our ability to perform basic functions

(Grohol, 2013). A person’s anxiety disorder can fall into a set of diagnoses depending on the symptoms and severity of anxiety.

Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is a type of anxiety disorder that causes extreme fear of being judged in social settings and performance situations (Higuera 2012).

Social anxiety is long-standing and debilitating and can affect a person’s ability to function during work or school, even causing difficulty with building relationships with people outside of their family. People with social anxiety have trouble meeting or talking to new people. In some cases the person can feel powerless to overcome their fears despite knowing that their fears are irrational or unreasonable.

HOW IS THE DISORDER DIAGNOSED

Doctors diagnose social phobia based on a person’s description of the symptoms they are experiencing. The doctor then conducts an exam to make sure there are no physical problems that could be causing the symptoms, after which they refer the person to a mental health specialist.

A doctor can tell if someone has social phobia if the symptoms have persisted for at least 6 months. These symptoms of anxiety can appear over a range of situations from being limited to certain circumstances to taking place over such a broad spectrum that the person experiences anxiety around almost anyone outside their family

(nimh.nih.gov).

4 LEVELS OF EXPLANATION
The levels of explanation refer to different approaches to understanding and explaining behaviour. The 4 levels are: the biological level, the basic processes level, the person level and the socio-cultural level.
The biological level focuses on how biological and chemical processes (such as hormones) influence our behaviour.
The basic processes level focuses on psychological processes that are widespread among humans – mostly behavior that is learned.
The person level focuses on how someone’s personality can influence their behaviour.
Finally, the socio-cultural level focuses on how a person’s behavior is influenced by factors like family, friends, the wider community and media. (Spencer and Hartsone, 2007)

CAUSES OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
Social anxiety disorder can be caused by numerous factors. ____

From a biological perspective, social anxiety disorder is thought to be the outcome of the malfunctioning of brain circuits that regulate emotions and the

SYMPTOMS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER

There are a numbers of symptoms exhibited by people experiencing social phobia. Using the 4 levels of explanation they can be categorised as follows:

From a biological viewpoint

TREATMENTS
psychotherapy (CBT, exposure therapy)
medication
self-help techniques