Psychological and social theories of post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract

Various theories have been proposed to explain the development and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article reviews psychological and social theories that have been influential. The most prominent current theories – emotional processing, dual representation, and the cognitive model of PTSD – draw on earlier work, in particular conditioning, information processing, and classical cognitive theory. Psychodynamic and attachment theory have also influenced thinking in this area. The latest theories combine stimulus and response elements with meaning, interpretation, and appraisal; they argue that successful processing depends on being able to access and assimilate new information within pre-existing schemas. Social factors are also recognized as playing a significant role in the development and maintenance of PTSD. These are considered along with the contention that PTSD is a socio-political construct as opposed to a true disease.