The Bio-Social Therapy: What Makes You, You!
Becca Samelson-Webb, M.A.
Why are we the way that we are? You’ve probably heard the idea of nature vs nurture discussed by mental health professionals. Some people take the approach that nature, or biology, is what creates certain behaviors in people. For instance, they might point to the genetic traits that lead someone to be more easily distracted or depressed. They might reference different illnesses that cause behavioral issues. If someone is sleeping or eating poorly, that might create biological changes that affect the mood. Other clinicians think that nurture, or the environment, is what leads to different behavioral patterns. If someone’s actions are reinforced from a young age, they might continue those behaviors as adults. Perhaps a traumatic event created a wound that still affects the way they view the world, affecting their thoughts and emotions.
As a Dialectical Behavior Therapy trained clinician, I like to take the middle path. Instead of either/or, I tend to lean towards both/and in most things – and that’s especially true here. One of the core tenants of DBT is the bio-social theory; we are how we are based on our biology, our environment, and the transactions between the two.
Biology: It’s how we’re born
Some people have issues with emotional regulation based on their biology. From an early age, some people might show more sensitivity to emotions. Parents might identify times when one child was more likely to cry or get angry than others. Some people are simply born with the ability to detect subtle emotional cues that may go undetected by others. Because of this, they might feel more frequent emotions, more intense emotions, and more long-lasting emotions. Others are born being less sensitive to emotions. They might cry less often, take longer to pick up on emotional cues, or be less sensitive to the feelings of others. It’s important to note that neither style is wrong or bad; instead, they’re simplify different ways people detect and process emotions. Similarly, some people are born more impulsive, finding it harder to restrain themselves from acting without thinking, resulting in ineffective decisions. Others are born much more hesitant to act, which can cause them to miss out on opportunities because they did not act soon enough. Some people are, as some of the kids put it, just built different.
Social Environment: We’re trained this way
In addition to biology, some environments lead to emotional dysregulation or impulsivity. For instance, some invalidating environments will call emotions weird, bad, or wrong. People might say, “You’re being dramatic,” “Stop overreacting,” or “what’s wrong with you?” These responses might lead some people to have stronger reactions to show others the extent of their pain. Other people might be more likely to shut down and not feel their emotions in order to keep up a good front. Additionally, some events might lead people to have issues with emotional regulation. Someone might notice a pattern of how stronger emotional reactions led to quicker responses from family or friends. A person might shut down and be less likely to ask for help after being repeatedly denied validation or support. Either way, the environment we live in will directly effect the way we feel and regulate emotions.
The Transactional Model: Connecting biology and environment
The third aspect of the bio-social theory is the emphasis of the transactions between one’s biology and environment. If someone is born more impulsive, they’re more likely to make rash decisions. Their social environment will begin to respond to that behavior, affecting the person. That person then will reciprocate by responding in a way that influences the environment… which then reciprocates and influences the person… who then reciprocates and influences the environment… which influences the person… who influences the environment….. etc.
So why are we the way that we are? Yes, we’re born with different ways to express and feel emotions. And yes, we’re trained in certain ways from our social environments to respond with different levels of emotional intensity. Most importantly, the way our actions transact with the social environment creates a repetitive cycle that impacts the way we see ourselves, others, and the world.
DBT is a therapy treatment protocol that helps stop this cycle by creating skills to increase emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and mindfulness skills. By utilizing both skills classes with other clients and individual sessions, clients learn to apply these skills in different areas of their lives. To find out more, visit our DBT page to see how you can enroll in classes and begin to build your life worth living!
All Information about the bio-social theory taken from the following source:
Linehan, Marsha. DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets. 2nd ed., New York, The Guilford Press, 2015.