Diathesis-Stress Model

The diathesis-stress model, also called the vulnerability-stress model, is a psychological theory that explains a disorder, or its course, as the product of an interaction between a predispositional vulnerability, the diathesis, and stress arising from a person's life experiences. A diathesis can take a genetic, psychological, biological or situational form, and individuals vary widely in how vulnerable they are to developing a disorder from any given diathesis. The model works by examining how a diathesis interacts with a person's subsequent stress response, since stress is understood here as a life event or series of events that disrupts psychological equilibrium and can help trigger a disorder such as depression.