Читать книгу Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology - Robert Weis - Страница 74

Long ago, six blind men came upon an elephant. Each man touched a different part of the beast to determine what it was. The man who felt a leg said the elephant is like a pillar; the man who felt the tail said the elephant is like a rope; the man who felt the ear said the elephant is like a fan, and so on (Image 2.1).

The men quarreled with each other over the identity of the elephant until the king, who was not blind, approached. The king resolved their dispute by saying, “All of you are right, but only partially. The reason for your disagreement is that each of you is touching a different part of the animal. You must work together to get the complete picture.”

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Like the men in the story, psychologists try to understand the causes of childhood disorders using a range of approaches. Some psychologists study the biological underpinnings of behavior; others focus on children’s actions, thoughts, or emotions; and others investigate the impact of family, friends, and society on development. Although each approach is helpful, it yields only part of the picture.

For example, if scientists try to understand autism spectrum disorder in terms of genetics or brain abnormalities alone, then they ignore the role that devoted parents and high-quality schools can play in the developmental outcomes of children with that condition. Although biology plays an important role in the emergence of autism, parents and schools also influence the developmental outcomes of youths with this disorder.

Similarly, a researcher who believes that eating disorders are caused by unrealistic portrayals of women and girls in the media may overlook the way operant conditioning can be used to explain dangerous behaviors like bingeing and purging. Although television, movies, and other media can contribute to unhealthy eating behavior in teens, other factors can also affect the emergence and maintenance of this disorder over time. Children’s psychological problems are complex and multiply determined. They are best understood when we approach them from multiple perspectives (Cicchetti, 2019).