2023

Riachi, Eve

Psychological disorders have been theorized and examined in numerous studies. However, the development of psychological disorders remains uncertain. Moreover, in the field of psychotherapy, revisions such as changes in the classifications of disorders are regularly made. Such changes could be facilitated by a better understanding of the onset of psychological disorders. This study investigated psychotherapists’ perspectives on the development of disorders. Therapists work daily with individuals and can thus provide novel insights into the onset of disorders. Therapists were interviewed and asked to explain the development of psychological disorders in their own words. They were also asked about triggering factors and loss of sense of control. The data, collected from sixteen psychotherapists, were analyzed using Erving Goffman’s frame analysis. The results showed that two frames were dominant in the therapists’ explanations for the development of disorders: an environmental frame and a frame combining environmental and biological factors. Although the therapists reported applying specific therapeutic orientations in their clinical practice, they combined different approaches in their explanations. A combination of factors was mentioned slightly more often by therapists with longer clinical experience. The examples of triggering factors given by the therapists were assigned into three frames: interpersonal, environmental and trauma. The therapists also described common categories of triggers and common factors that connect most triggers. On the topic of loss of sense of control, two frames were identified. The most frequently mentioned examples of loss of sense of control were relational issues or stress. Country-specific environmental factors, such as war, were also discussed in relation to the development of disorders. Genetic predisposition was not among the examples of triggering factors provided by the participants. Moreover, the therapists differed in their views on the role of loss of sense of control in the onset of psychological disorders. Finally, both triggering factors and loss of sense of control were perceived as linked to personal vulnerabilities. Future studies could expand on these findings by further examining loss of sense of control and investigating the underlying psychological vulnerabilities involved in the onset of symptoms.