biological

• definition

  humans are viewed as biological beings and it is expected that behaviour can be explained using references to biology.
• Darwin

  overtime organisms become adapted to their environment through evolution due to natural selection.
• genetics & behaviour

  genes= instructions for a particular characteristic

  genotype= genetic makeup if an individual

  phenotype= genotype interacting with the environment
• evolutionary examples- Bowlby

  Attachment is programmed into babies for survival
• evolutionary examples- phobias

  They are likely to develop due to old threats to our ancestors e.g. spiders and snakes
• evolutionary examples - peppered moths

  They evolved to be darker by slowly increasing the amount of 'peppered' spots through generations during the industrial revolution in order to be less easily spotted
• Genetic examples- MZ twins

  identical twins have the same genotype but can have different phenotypes due to upbringing (environmental factors)
• genetic examples- PKU

  It prevents the body from breaking down a certain amino acid found in products such as milk. Learning difficulties are a result of drinking milk in infancy (phenotype).
• Genetic examples- schizophrenia

  Those with a family history are more likely to be affected by it (genotype)
• strengths

  1. uses scientific methods such as experiments
  2. it has useful application and lead to psychoactive drugs to treat disorders
• weaknesses

  1. It's deterministic- we are governed by internal/ genetic causes
  2. It is reductionist- it reduces down complex disorders to simple ideas and solutions
  3. it underestimates the influence of nurture