The Importance of Etiology and Prevention in Applied Psychology

Every psychologist should be an explorer of causes of behaviors. Etiology represents a multifactorial construct composed of four categories of risk factors; biomedical, social, behavioral and educational that interacts across time and affects the individual’s overall development as well as her or his quality of life and mental health. Psychologists should try to understand how humans develop, what factors influence the process of development, and in what ways from the moment of conception and during pregnancy and afterwards. In this regard, etiology consists of a network of factors and a description of all factors that are present, contribute and intervene in a particular individual’s development and life. In this article I try to review three important factors; prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors. The study on etiology of human behaviors and disorders is the first necessary step for prevention. On the other hand, prevention is the first priority step for application of scientific psychology in the society. In psychology, we encounter various patterns, and a single theory or model cannot explain the process of human development. Undoubtedly, the influential factors on human development and creating different disorders and abnormalities should first be studied and examined in the context of family and then in the schools and society. Unfortunately, in our country’s educational system, we have not yet provided parents and citizens with the necessary life skills and training on how to live. In one word, “Our Learning Is Not for Our Living!”

کلیدواژه ها:

Etiology ، Prevention ، Applied Psychology