Evaluation of the Biological Approach

It uses highly scientific methods such as lab experiements using a range of sophisticated technology such as fMRI scans and ways to maps genes.

So it is possible to measure biological processes such as genetic codes and neural pathways.

This makes data obtained highly reliable and objective.

By having a greater understanding of the roles of biochemicals in the brain, we can gain a greater understanding of some metal illnesses and allows us to develop psychoactive drugs, such as SSRI's (antidepressants), to treat them.

For example, depression is thought to be associated with low levels of serotonin in the brain.
By developing drugs which increase the levels of serotonin, people with symptoms of depression can have a greater quality of life.

However, ther is no way of knowing the extent that the environment plays in depression. So treating it with drugs may not be treating the whole illness.

The evidence for the causal relationship between neurotransmitters and behaviour comes from the research which shows that particular drugs can reduce symptoms of a mental illness by increasing the amounts of these neurotransmitters in the brain.

It is assumed that the mental illness is caused by a deficiency of these neurotransmitters.

This is a bit like saying that the brain must be lacking paracetamol when you have a headache just because paracetamol appears to cure it.

It suggests that behaviour is determined by our physiology, whether it be our genes, our biochemistry or our hormones.

This suggests that our physiology dictates how we behave and we have no free will and thus less responsibility for our actions/behaviour as we cannot totally control it.

This has implications for the legal system and wider society as, for example, criminals are seen as morally responsible for their own behaviour which could be an issue if there was a gene for criminality.