Your Cousin Has Always Had a Tendency Towards Anxiety

Multiple Choice

Your cousin has always had a tendency towards anxiety. He's been feeling particularly stressed out in recent months and decides to see a doctor for some advice. After describing his symptoms, the doctor tells your cousin that he may be suffering from an anxiety disorder and would like to refer him to someone with more expertise in that area. Your cousin asks the doctor if his symptoms were caused by his genes. The doctor explains that genetic contributions are thought to be one of many kinds of vulnerabilities that may predispose individuals to developing a psychological disorder. However, whether someone ever actually develops a disorder is likely related to whether a sufficient amount of stress is experienced, which can act as a trigger. What model is he describing?

A) the categorical model
B) the vulnerability-stress model
C) the dimensional model
D) the antithesis model
E) the psychodynamic model