When was the biopsychosocial model developed?
The Biopsychosocial model was first conceptualised by George Engel in 1977, suggesting that to understand a person's medical condition it is not simply the biological factors to consider, but also the psychological and social factors.
In the 1970s, the now famous psychologist George L. Engel came up with the biopsychosocial model of treatment. While many therapists were devoted to treating one particular aspect of a person's mental struggles, he found it was best to treat people from all angles.
The biopsychosocial model of addiction states that genetic/ biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors contribute to substance consumption and should be taken into account for its prevention and treatment (Becoña, 2002; Skewes & González, 2013).
Biopsychosocial model helps primary care doctors to understand interactions among biological and psychosocial components of illnesses to improve the dyadic relationship between clinicians and their patients and multidisciplinary approaches in patient care.
When Engel first proposed the biopsychosocial model it was for the purpose of better understanding health and illness. While this application still holds true the model is relevant to topics such as health, medicine, and development.
GEORGE ENGEL'S LEGACY
He offered a holistic alternative to the prevailing biomedical model that had dominated industrialized societies since the mid-20th century. His new model came to be known as the biopsychosocial model.
What is the Biopsychosocial model? Assumes that health and illness are a joint product of biological, psychological and social factors.
Your Bibliography: Engel, G., 1979. The biopsychosocial model and the education of health professionals. General Hospital Psychiatry, 1(2), pp. 156-165.
The biopsychosocial model has led to the development of the most therapeutic and cost-effective interdisciplinary pain management programs and makes it far more likely for the chronic pain patient to regain function and experience vast improvements in quality of life. Gatchel R, Howard K. The Biopsychosocial Approach.
The biopsychosocial model is a general model positing that biological, psychological (which includes thoughts, emotions, and behaviors), and social (e.g., socioeconomical, socioenvironmental, and cultural) factors, all play a significant role in health and disease.
What is the problem with the biopsychosocial model?
One of the main problems of the biopsychosocial model is that an actual model that incorporates biological, psychological, and social elements is not currently available.
Psychosocial variables are important both because they affect quality of life (“misery”) and are on the causal pathway to somatic disease. As public expenditure on health encompasses both these outcomes, policy implications need to address them both.

Often referred to as the father of the disease theory of addiction, E. M. Jellinek, published his highly acclaimed book, The Disease Theory of Alcoholism, in 1960. His theory regarding alcohol dependence was based on four main concepts, as published by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD):
- Moral Model. ...
- Disease Model. ...
- Socio-Cultural Model. ...
- Psycho-Dynamic Model.
The biopsychosocial perspective is an integrated approach to psychology that incorporates three different perspectives and types of analysis: biological, psychological, and social-cultural.
The “biopsychosocial (BPS) model” emphasizes the interconnection between biological, psychological and socio-environmental factors. When this model is applied to health, it demonstrates the importance of maintaining wellness in all aspects of our lives.
The biopsychosocial approach to development views social factors, along with biological and psychological factors, as important in terms of understanding how an individual grows and matures throughout the lifespan.
Forms of the biomedical model have existed since before 400 BC, with Hippocrates, the "father of medicine" advocating for physical aetiologies of illness. Despite this, the model did not form the dominant view of health until the 1800s during the Scientific Revolution.
The VCE Psychology Study Design requires students undertaking Unit 4 to use a 4P factor model (predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and protective factors) as a subset of a biopsychosocial approach to analyse mental health and the development and progression of mental health disorders.
Its core principles are the consideration that there is a relation between biological and psychological processes, characterized by cooperative interaction between these factors, that influence the way humans constantly behave, and the consideration that this relation following a scientific approach.
Why is the biopsychosocial model important in mental health?
The biopsychosocial model encourages clinicians to explain phenomena such as depression by examining all relevant biological, psychological, and social factors that might be contributing to the development or maintenance of the disorder.
The biopsychosocial approach is a concept used to understand human behavior by looking at the biological, psychological, and social factors. These three influences coinside with one another to analyze and describe a behavior, disorder, or anything.
Three Main Levels of Analysis Psychology's three main levels of analysis uses three different views: biological, psychological, and social-cultural to explain the actions and behaviors of others. Each level provides insight into certain behaviors.
The biopsychosocial model suggests that health and illness are determined by psychological, biological, and social factors.
Below is an assessment of the fundamental challenges the biopsychosocial model faces. Although the model is not dead in any paradigm-shifting sense, significant challenges remain in translating it to practice effectively, requiring more than mere statements of value.