Final answer:
In psychopathology, aetiology focuses on the causes of disorders, while description categorizes symptoms without addressing origins. Categorical models classify mental disorders into distinct groups, whereas dimensional models view them as existing on a continuum.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the field of psychopathology, several models exist to help understand and classify mental disorders. Aetiology and description are different approaches used in the study of psychopathology. Aetiology refers to the study of the causes or origins of a disease, which in the context of psychiatric disorders would include genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors. Description, on the other hand, involves the characterization and categorization of symptoms without necessarily addressing their origins.
Furthermore, the categorical versus dimensional models represent different ways of classifying mental disorders. Categorical models, like those used in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders (DSM), group mental disorders into distinct categories based on symptom presentation and thresholds. Dimensional models, in contrast, view mental disorders as existing on a continuum or spectrum, where symptoms may vary in intensity across a range rather than being present or absent.