2.
3
Biopsychosocial
Model by George L.
Engel and Jon
Romano (1977)
GEORGE L. ENGEL
JON ROMANO
In the olden days, there was a debate on
what influences or shapes child
development: nature (our genetic makeup)
or nurture (how we were raised). But now,
we know that both nature and nurture have
an effect on child development. This idea of
nature plus nurture is also called the
biopsychosocial model.
This relatively new theory, the
biopsychosocial model, illustrates that life
span development is the product of the
interaction between biological,
psychological, and social forces.
The biological forces - one's organs,
physiology, and genetics-explain the role of
genes (DNA) and hormones in the health
care of the individual. These include a
person's physical health, genetic
vulnerabilities, disability, and IQ, which can
be affected not just by being in a good
environment where there is an abundance
of books that the parents read to the child,
but also by nutrition that affects the
development of the brain.
The psychological forces are all about
cognition, emotion, and motivation. These
include a person's coping skills, social skills,
self-esteem, how we think, and the way we
develop our ideas.
The social forces that affect development
are a person's family, community, and
society, including school, peers, and work
environment among others.
All these things shape a person as a human
being. This implies that each person is
unique. No one has exactly the same
biology, exactly the same the same family
are usually very different. For example,
being the firstborn in the psychology, nor
exactly the same social influence. Even
people who grew up in family brings a
whole set of different experiences than
being the middle child of being the
youngest. Firstborns tend to be more
independent and youngest siblings tend to
be more dependent, while middle children
tend to be more social, looking for
attention. Consequently, even if children
have the same parents or grow up in the
same house, their experiences can be
different. In this model, we can study the
interconnections of different events in
various stages in a person's life. We can also
see the effect of things like culture, religion,
socioeconomic status, traditions, physical
stature, birth order, health conditions,
school, peers, family, good and bad
experiences in life, and events, among
others, that can explain a person's current
and future self-esteem, personality,
behavior, reasoning, or thinking, among
others. With this model, we can specify
biological, psychological, and social factors
that can shape a person's development. For
example, how potty training, eating, or
joining a family reunion or other event can
be a positive experience, a negative
experience, or a scary experience, and how
this possibly has shaped a person's
personality as he/she grew up.
Teachers (and parents) may have to assess
all the factors that may be affecting the
child and how the child is impacting the
environment. For example, when observing,
take note of what the child is being exposed
to in the home, school, neighborhood,
community, or what is being shown in
media. What are these places teaching the
child? How do these things affect a child's
sense of belonging, self-esteem, self-
efficacy, and sense of safety. What if this
child has a parent who is working abroad, is
sick in the hospital, or is now in jail? What if
this child has a parent who is unhappy at
work, or has just lost his/her job, and
consequently rejects his/her child when
he/she comes home? What if this child
moves frequently from one country to
another because of the kind of work of
his/her parents? What if this child is starting
to go to a new school again? Sometimes,
family problems get in the way of a child's
school performance or his/her social life.
The biomedical and biopsychosocial models
offer distinct perspectives on understanding
and addressing health and illness. The
biomedical model, historically prevalent,
takes a reductionist approach by focusing
on biological factors and treating diseases
through medical interventions. In contrast,
the biopsychosocial model adopts a holistic
viewpoint, acknowledging the complex
interplay of biological, psychological, and
social factors in shaping health and
illness. Unlike the biomedical model, which
sees diseases as isolated physical
abnormalities, the biopsychosocial model
views them as outcomes of dynamic
interactions among various dimensions.
Treatment under the biopsychosocial model
is comprehensive, involving medical,
psychological, and social interventions to
address overall well-being. This model
emphasizes the interconnectedness of
these dimensions, recognizing their mutual
influence on an individual's health.
