Inside This Unit: The Full Breakdown
Mental and Physical Health covers motivation and emotion, stress and health, the classification and major categories of psychological disorders, the therapies used to treat them, and the positive-psychology view of well-being — all framed by the biopsychosocial model.
Why it matters
Disorders and treatment are among the most tested topics and the most common AAQ/EBQ subjects, and the biopsychosocial framework is the lens graders expect you to apply to causes, prevention, and treatment.
Key concepts
- The biopsychosocial model explains disorders and health through interacting biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors.
- Motivation is explained by drive-reduction, arousal (Yerkes–Dodson optimal arousal), and need hierarchies; emotion involves physiological arousal, expressive behavior, and cognitive appraisal (James–Lange, Cannon–Bard, Schachter–Singer two-factor).
- Chronic stress (the general adaptation syndrome) harms health; appraisal and coping moderate its effects.
- Disorders are classified by the DSM and judged by deviance, distress, and dysfunction; major categories include anxiety, OCD, depressive and bipolar, schizophrenia, and trauma-related disorders.
- Psychotherapies map to theories — psychodynamic, humanistic (client-centered), behavioral (exposure, token economies), cognitive, and the widely used cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
- Biomedical treatments (antidepressants, antianxiety, antipsychotics) target neurotransmitter systems; positive psychology studies what makes life flourish.
Motivation, Emotion, and Stress
Motivation theories include drive-reduction (we act to reduce biological needs and restore homeostasis), arousal theory (we seek an optimal level of arousal — the Yerkes–Dodson law says moderate arousal is best for performance), and Maslow’s hierarchy (physiological needs before safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization). Emotion combines physiological arousal, expressive behavior, and conscious experience, and the major theories differ on their order: James–Lange (we feel emotion because we notice our body’s response), Cannon–Bard (arousal and emotion occur simultaneously), and the Schachter–Singer two-factor theory (arousal + a cognitive label produce emotion). Stress is the process by which we appraise and respond to threats; Selye’s general adaptation syndrome describes alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Chronic stress raises cortisol and is linked to weakened immunity and cardiovascular disease, while problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, social support, and perceived control buffer its effects.
Psychological Disorders
Abnormal behavior is generally identified by deviance from norms, personal distress, and dysfunction (impaired daily functioning), and clinicians classify it using the DSM. Major categories tested on the exam include anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, panic disorder, phobias), obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (intrusive obsessions and compulsive rituals), depressive disorders (major depressive disorder) and bipolar disorder (alternating depression and mania), schizophrenia (positive symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, negative symptoms like flat affect and withdrawal, and disorganized thought), and trauma- and stressor-related disorders (PTSD). The biopsychosocial model frames their causes: biological vulnerability (genetics, neurotransmitters such as low serotonin in depression or dopamine overactivity in schizophrenia), psychological factors (learned associations, maladaptive thoughts), and social-cultural context. Avoid over-labeling — context and degree matter.
Treatment and Well-Being
Psychotherapies follow their parent theories. Psychodynamic therapy surfaces unconscious conflict; humanistic (client-centered) therapy uses unconditional positive regard, empathy, and active listening to foster growth. Behavioral therapies apply conditioning: systematic desensitization and exposure extinguish phobias, and token economies reinforce adaptive behavior. Cognitive therapy challenges distorted thinking, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) — combining cognitive and behavioral methods — is among the most effective and widely used treatments, especially for anxiety and depression. Group and family therapy add social context. Biomedical treatments adjust biology: antidepressants (often SSRIs) raise serotonin availability, antianxiety drugs enhance GABA, antipsychotics dampen dopamine activity, and electroconvulsive therapy is reserved for severe, treatment-resistant depression. Positive psychology rounds out the unit by studying strengths, flow, gratitude, and the conditions for human flourishing rather than only treating illness.
AP exam tip
For any disorder or treatment prompt, use the biopsychosocial model as your scaffold — name a biological, a psychological, and a social-cultural factor, then match the treatment to the cause (e.g., SSRIs for a neurotransmitter contribution, CBT for maladaptive thoughts). This structure earns the explanation and application points graders are scanning for.
Connections to other units
- Unit 1 (Biological Bases): Neurotransmitter systems and brain function underlie both disorders and biomedical treatment.
- Unit 3 (Development and Learning): Classical and operant conditioning explain how phobias form and how behavioral therapies work.
- Unit 4 (Social Psychology and Personality): Social stressors, personality, and the situation shape vulnerability and coping.
