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the biological approach - Coggle Diagram
the biological approach
assumptions
humans are biological organisms made up of physiological processes, therefore all thoughts, ideas & cognitive processes must be biological in origin
to understand behaviour, we must look at biological structures & processes within the body
the mind 'lives' within the brain, in contrast to the cognitive approach that sees mental processes in the mind as being separate from the physical brain
evaluation
strengths
real-world application
- increased understanding of neurochemical processes in the brain is associated with the use of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders
- eg = promoted the treatment of clinical depression using antidepressants, that increase levels of serotonin in the brain
- means that people with depression may be better able to manage their condition and live their lives in the community, rather than remain in hospital
- this benefits the economy as members of society with the mental disorder can continue to work
uses scientific methods of investigation
- makes use of a range of highly precise and objective methods
- these include fmris and eegs
- with technological advances, it’s possible to accurately measure physiological and neural processes in ways that aren’t open to bias
- means that much of the approach is based on objective and reliable data
limitations
(counterpoint to real-world application) - antidepressants don't work for everyone
- a researcher compared 21 antidepressant drugs and found wide variations in their effectiveness
- concluded that the effects of antidepressants in general were ‘mainly modest’
- challenges the value of the biological approach, as it suggests that brain chemistry alone may not account for all cases of, eg depression
it’s determinist
- sees behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes over which we have no control
- however, phenotypes are heavily environmentally-influenced
- additionally, if we consider crime, this is difficult to argue that it’s purely genetic
- suggests the biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effects of the environment
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