Question: waht triggers peoples phsycological problems

Helen O'Connor answered on 14 Jun 2011:

That’s quite a complicated question. There is the “nature/nurture” debate in psychology which is whether we are more likely to have certain psychological problems because of our genes (nature), or whether we only get problems as a result of how we have been brought up and what happens to us in our lives (nurture). I think that its likely to be a mixture of both – some people who have had really bad things happen in their lives don’t seem to have any psychological problems, and some people who seem to have a “good life” can suffer from depression and other problems. So it’s very complicated. There is a branch of psychology now called “positive psychology” and instead of looking at people’s problems, it is more interested in studying people who are psychologically healthy/happy and finding out why.