Problem
From a 2015 New York Times story about lawyers: ...A landmark Johns Hopkins study in 1990 found that lawyers were 3.6 times as likely as non-lawyers to suffer from depression, putting them at greater risk than people in any other occupation. In December, Yale Law School released a study that said 70 percent of students there who responded to a survey were affected by mental health issues.... Why lawyers are susceptible to such dangers is a matter of debate, although unhappiness with the work itself - long hours toiling for demanding clients - is often cited as a possible cause, particularly for people who entered law school with dreams of high-stakes, cinematic courtroom battles.... Others say the job requires an unhealthy degree of cynicism. "Research shows that an optimistic outlook is good for your mental health," said Patricia Spataro, director of the New York State Lawyer Assistance Program, a resource for attorneys with mental health concerns. "But lawyers are trained to always look for the worst-case scenario. They benefit more from being pessimistic, and that takes a toll." And then there is the public hostility. "People just seem to hate lawyers," Ms. Spataro said. "There are thousands of prominent websites for lawyer jokes. That's just horrific."
1. Build a simple mechanism theory consistent with being a lawyer increasing mental health problems. Illustrate with a path (causal) diagram. This could be a theory described above or not. (It will be much simpler than your logic models, probably only one or two intervening variables.)
2. Build an alternative theory that both predicts the relationship found by the landmark study and contradicts the idea that being a lawyer causes depression to be more likely. Illustrate with a path (causal) diagram and explain briefly.