Becoming A Biological Psychologist Essay

Biopsychology: The application of principles of biology toward the study of psychology. Also known as biological psychology, behavioral neuroscience, or psychobiology

When comparing the biological and psychoanalytic approach to psychology, you are able to see that they are different from one another. For example, the biological approach assumes that the mind and behaviour originate from the functioning of the body and that behaviour is driven by biological instincts. Whereas the psychoanalytic approach claims behaviour is driven by instincts such as the unconscious processes as well as the conflict between unconscious desires (pleasure and reality principle). Additionally, both approaches have a common feature of being reductionist,

The biological approach examines mental processes and behaviors by focusing on genetics and physiology. Psychologists who use the biological approach believe that mental processes and behaviors are caused and explained by activity between the nervous system and the brain. The biological approach is very scientific; therefore, psychologists can perform consistent, measureable experiments to examine how our genes, neuronal activity, and neurotransmitters interact with our environment and how they influence our mental processes and behaviors. Psychologists performing such experiments have more control over their variables; thus, studies can be repeated to test how reliable they actually are.

This makes a huge point to my argument. Psychologists are people who learn about why human beings think what they think and do what they do. They help to stand up for people who have been put down by society.

Biological psychology, of biopsychology, is the application of the principles of biology to the study of mental processes in terms of bodily mechanisms. The view that psychological processes have biological (or physiological) correlates, is the basic assumption of the whole field of biological psychology. Biological psychology is a hopeful domain, one that has much to offer in terms of improving the quality of life of the healthy as well as those suffering from disorders. It also contributed important therapeutic data on a variety of conditions, including: Parkinson 's Disease, Alzheimer 's Disease, Clinical depression, Schizophrenia and a lot others. Humans have very complex nervous system, they use neurons and neurotransmitters to make the highest active communication network throughout the body. “most of the body’s neurons are found in the central nervous system(CNS), which consists of the brain and spinal cord” (psychology 5th edition). “Neuroscience emphasizes that the brain and nervous system are central to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion. (Van Horn, 2014; Zhao & others, 2014). Therefore, for biological psychologist all that is psychological is first physiological. All thoughts, feeling & behavior ultimately have a biological cause.” We are benefited from biological approach for diagnosing and treating human brains Ex. Schizophrenia. Scientists are also able to create medications for different types of illnesses. Besides having psychologists

Many people like me and you go into psychology because we find dealing with people’s thought patterns interesting, however psychology also deals with a lot of the brain functions and diagnosing mental illnesses,

As stated by collegegrad.com, “Although psychologists typically need a doctoral degree in psychology, a master’s degree is sufficient for some positions. Psychologists in independent practice also need a license” (1). Similarly, it is important for a psychologist to have the skills that are needed in order to succeed. This includes analytical skills, communication skills, observational skills, patience, people skills, problem-solving skills, and trustworthiness. Without these important characteristics, it would be impossible to be a successful

9-1: Why are human psychologists concerned with human biology? Psychologists working from a biological perspective study the links between biology and behavior. We are biopsychosocial systems, in which biological, psychological and social-cultural factors interact to influence behavior.

Biopsychology is a biological approach to psychology. Historically, researchers believed that neuropsychological disorders were of the brain, and psychological disorders were of the mind. Now, psychologists understand that these distinctions do not exist. Biological approaches to psychological disorders direct psychologists to consider the active cause and effective treatments of major psychological disorders. These major psychological disorders include schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and Tourette syndrome (Pinel, 2009.)

Whether it is the study of biopsychology and other fields of psychology or neuroscience, all psychologists and scientists are trying to understand the functions of the brain. The body and mind connection and how it reacts to certain behaviors or illnesses. Most all psychological functioning can be reduced to underlying brain processes. This should serve as reason alone as to why biology plays an important part in the study of psychology. Psychological factors play a role in whether a person develops a mental illness and in how well they recover from a mental illness, yet biological and genetic risk factors, or predispositions, are

The biological approach which is the oldest approach, stems from the study of biology and the work of Charles Darwin (1809). It wasn’t until the 20th century that biological psychology occurred as a science, prior to this the connection between the brain, mind and body was not understood. The biological approach focuses on genetics and how they affect an individual’s behaviour and the brain and nervous system, primarily the central nervous system. The brain has three main parts the Cerebrum which is split into two halves which determines thoughts and memories, the cerebellum which is responsible for actions and movement and the brain stem which governs basic functions such as breathing. The central nervous system is a part of the nervous system which is located in the brain and spinal cord and all information sent here is acted upon.

It all started with pure curiosity, when I happened to read an interesting science article on the internet. The article introduced me to the fascinating field of neurobiology and made me extremely inquisitive about human brain. Discovering that the author was at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, I gathered my courage and visited her lab to inquire about a possible need for a laboratory intern. My ambitious gamble paid off and I began my laboratory training with Dr. Aton and the University of Michigan. My professor patiently guided me through basic materials about the research and enrolled me in the “University of Michigan Laboratory Animal Training Program.” After completing the training, I became used to the atmosphere of the lab and was

Biological psychology is based in genetics and physiology, and makes connections between one’s behavior and their biological factors. It is a broad course of study encompassing neuroscience and how different neurological systems are influenced by outside sources such as medication or other stimuli, and how they blend to create behaviors. Likewise, how certain activities and other behaviors can affect one’s biology, or physiology and brain activity is also a type of investigation within the field. Biological psychology is an area of psychology that is rooted in study, meaning that most bio-psychologists are most likely working within the research or academia fields and their requisite settings of universities, and research or pharmaceutical companies (Kuther & Morgan, 2012 p. 87).

Psychologists are very important people; they help millions of people with their everyday struggles and problems that they have to deal with. Not only do psychologists help people with problems that they cannot handle on their own, they also are scientists who study human minds and behaviors.

Undergraduate and graduate degrees typically only contain limited courses specializing on human development and learning, however, at the University of Texas at Austin, there is an entire program specifically dedicated to the course of study (The University of Texas at Austin). The Ph.D. program takes approximately four years to complete and requires approval from a professor currently serving on the developmental psychology staff. Prospective candidates are held to the highest standards to ensure only the most qualified individuals enter into the respected community. Each candidate is required to instruct at least three developmental psychology classes. Furthermore in addition to their course of study, candidates are required to formulate, annotate and present a professional dissertation. Each university has varying program requirements, which ensures only the most skilled and competent individuals are eligible for graduation.