Sociocultural and Social-Psychological Factors in the Genesis of Mental Disorders

The purpose of this paper is to assess the etiological implications of sociocultural and social-psychologicalfactors in the occurrence and distribution offunctional psychiatric disorders. Three bodies of evidence are analyzed: Thefirst consists of epidemiological studies of the true prevalence of psychiatric disorders; the second, of the literature on individual reactions to extreme situations; and the third, of investigations of relations between psychopathology and more ordinary stressful life events. The major issues raised by this research are examined and a report of progress in resolving one of them centering on social class differences is presented. Suggestions are made about the development of quat.si-experimental strategies, adoption of unusual sampling plans, and use of prospective rather than crosssectional research designs/for purposes of increasing our understanding of the role of sociocultural and socialpsychological factors in the genesis of mental disorders.