the biological approach

• The biological approach assumes:

  • All human behaviour has a biological origin 
  • To understand human behaviour, we must look at our biological structures e.g our genes, the brain and the nervous system, and neurochemistry
  • These are influenced by environmental factors
  • All thoughts, feelings and behaviour have an underlying physical (biological) basis
• To determine the involvement of genetic factors, we use twin studies
• We compare the concordance rates between monozygotic twins (have 100% same genes) and dizygotic twins (have 50% same genes)
• Genotype = actual genetic makeup, the set of genes they have
• Phenotype = the characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment; the way genes are expressed
• genes - make up chromosomes and consist of DNA, which codes the physical features and psychological features. genes are transmitted from parents to offspring
• biological structure - an arrangement or organisation of parts to form an organ, system or living thing
• neurochemistry - relating to chemicals in the brain that regulate psychological functioning
• evolution - the changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations
• natural selection, proposed by charles darwin, is a theory to explain evolution
• epigenetics - the study of how environmental factors can alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence
• The biological approach regards any similarities between twins/family members as having a genetic basis. However, whilst they share similar genes, they also share a similar environment
• A better approach is an interactionist approach, which considers both nature and nurture e.g the diathesis-stress model
• the approach uses highly specific and precise scientific methods to investigate the biological basis of behaviour. Scanning techniques, twin studies and drug trials are all used
• Research into the role of neurochemical imbalances in depression has led to the development of drug treatments such as SSRIs, which correct this imbalance - alleviating the symptoms of depression
• the biological approach has helped improve lives by providing drug treatments
• the biological approach is reductionist
• the biological approach suffers from biological determinism. This has implications for the legal system as the law states people are responsible for their actions but the identification of a gene involved in violent behaviour complicates this principle