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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1–7Cite as

Biopsychosocial Model in Couple and Family Therapy

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Introduction

The biopsychosocial (BPS) model was presented as a challenge to the biomedical model in the late 1970s (Engel 1977, 1980). Per Engel, the biomedical model left little room for the social, psychological, and behavioral aspects of illness and reduced all symptoms to physiological or biochemical origin. Engel commented that the human experience of illness is not well captured by laboratory results or diagnostic tests often employed in the biomedical model and hence deserved to be viewed from a more comprehensive framework. Engel posited that an individual’s health experience results from the intersection of biological, psychological, and social factors operating on multiple levels of the system (i.e., molecular, individual, interpersonal, cultural, and national levels). Engel encouraged the application of the BPS model with systems theory in an effort to practice medicine from a perspective that includes attending to the multiple levels of the organization present. This...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

    Rola O. Aamar

  2. Center of Excellence for Integrated Care, Cary, NC, USA

    Irina Kolobova

Authors
  1. Rola O. Aamar
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  2. Irina Kolobova
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rola O. Aamar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, IL, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, IL, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, IL, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. University of Saint Joseph, West Harford, CT, USA

    Rachel Diamond

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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Aamar, R.O., Kolobova, I. (2016). Biopsychosocial Model in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_511-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_511-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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