Evaluation of the Biological Approach

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Evaluation of the Biological Approach

Advantages

  • Scientific- studies observable and measurable explanations for behaviour such as brain structure and neurotransmitters, therefore adopting an objective approach.
  • Applications- biological principles have been successfully applied in the real world in therapies (psychosurgery and chemotherapy).
  • Deterministic- biological determinism is adopted. Believing that behaviour is shaped by inborn factors such as brain function/neurotransmitters means that effective treatments can be given. For example knowing the cause of OCD (excessive brain activity) enables one to control it using psychosurgery.

Disadvantages

  • Nature v Nuture- only looks at inborn influences on behaviour, therefore ignores the role of nuture and psychological factors such as how people think and feel.
  • Individual Differences- ignores individual differences and assumes that everyone's biological systems behave in the same way.

Evaluation

A strength of the biological approach is that it is scientific as it studies observable and measurable explanations for behaviour such as brain structure and neurotransmitters, therefore adopting an objective approach. However, the biological approach ignores individual differences and assumes that everyone's biological systems behave in the same way.

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