biological approach

• key assumptions:

  • everything psychological is at first biological
• concordance rates is the extent to which twins share the same characteristics

  • monozygotic = 100%
  • dizygotic = 50%
  • the environment is assumed to be constant in both cases
• neurochemistry: this relates to chemicals in the brain that regulate psychological functioning eg neurotransmitters

  • any imbalances of neurotransmitters has been implicated as possible causes of mental illness
• Charles Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection

  • any genetically determined behaviour that enhances survival and reproduction will be passed onto the future generations
  • such genes are described as adaptive and give the processor and their offspring advantages
• one strength of the approach is it use of scientific methods of investigations

  • in order to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour , the biological approach makes use of a range of precise and highly scientific methods
  • these include scanning techniques eg fMRIS and drug trials, it is possible to accurately measure biological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias
  • this means that the biological approach is based on reliable data
• another strength is the biological approach has real life applications

  • increased understanding of biochemical processes in the brain has led to the development of psychoactive drugs that treat serious mental disorders such as depression, although these drugs are not effective for all patients, they have revolutionised treatment for many
  • this is a strength of the approach because it means that sufferers are able to live a relatively normal life rather than hospital
• a limitation is difficulty establishing cause and effect with neurotransmitters

  • the role of neurotransmitter in mental illness comes from studies show a particularly drug reduces symptoms of the disorder by changing levels of neurotransmitter, assumed that the neurotransmitter is the cause
  • bit like assuming the cause of a headache is because of the lack of paracetamol is effective relieving symptoms of a headache
  • this is a limitation because the biological approach is claiming to have discovered causes where only an association exists
• a final limitation is the difficulty of separating nature and nurture

  • identical and non-identical twins and members of the same family all have genetic similarities so any similarity in the way they behave must be genetic
  • however the fact that family members are exposed to similar environmental conditions in an important confounding variable
  • this is a problem for the biological approach because findings could be just as easily interpreted as supporting nurture rather than nature