| Model | Focus | Assumptions |
|---|
| Biomedical | Physical aspects of disease | Disease is caused by biological factors |
| Biopsychosocial | Biological, psychological, and social factors | Disease is caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors |
| Behavioural-Cognitive | behavioural and cognitive processes | our thoughts and beliefs influence our behavior and emotions, maladaptive thought patterns are the cause |
| Humanistic-Existential | inherent goodness and free will, search for meaning, self-actualization | behaviouristic models and psychodynamic models are deterministic and limiting; offers individualized approach and is not bothered with generalization |
| Socio-Cultural | how social, cultural, and environmental factors influence an individual’s behavior and mental processes; norms, culture | |
| Meta-Theoretical Model | integrative approach that considers multiple perspectives | framework that acknowledges that no single theoretical perspective is sufficient to fully understand |
