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The Biological Theory Of Psychology

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There are 5 renowned approaches to abnormal Psychology, each one is unique and have influenced each other in some way. Freud’s approach infuriated psychologists, Watson felt it was not testable, Carl Rogers (Humanism) rejects Watson’s (Behaviour) scientific method.

Some approaches are practiced more than others, they all have their strength and weaknesses, different assumptions and treatments however, the end goal is the same. Finding the underlying cause of abnormal behaviour and applying treatment.

I am going to explain the biological model, also known as the Medical model.

The biological model views mental illnesses the same way it views physical illness. The biological model emphasises on the biological and physical bases of…show more content…
A transmitter is a neurochemical that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse. Norepinephrine, Dopamine and Serotonin are especially important when it comes to mental health issues. High levels of Norepinephrine and Dopamine are seen when a depressed mood is evident. Serotonin is thought to cause high anxiety when there is too much available. The Endocrine system releases hormones, in males if there’s an imbalance in testosterone levels it is thought to cause high level of aggression.

Third assumption is genetic predisposition. It was Charles Dawin who first introduced the idea that evolution and genetics play a role in human behaviour, natural selection influences whether certain behaviour patterns are passed down to future generations. Genetics are biological markers passed down from generation to generation that can influence a range of things, what colour eyes they have to whether they develop a mental disorder. There are many psychological disorders that are influenced by genetics, including schizophrenia, bipolar, Alzheimer’s and anxiety disorders. Psychologists study the relationship between genes and mental heath in several ways. A couple of well known studies are the Minnesota Twin study – identical twins (monozygotic) were raised separately and did not meet until they were 40 years old. The personality and temperament traits were surprisingly similar as if they were reared together. Another
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