Discuss the behavioural approach to explaining psychological abnormality. (12 marks)
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- Created on: 25-03-13 20:22
Discuss the behavioural approach to explaining psychological abnormality. (12 marks)
The behavioural approach believes that all mental disorders are learned
through experience. Classical and operant conditioning plus social learning
theory can explain the formation of maladaptive behaviours known as
abnormal behaviour. For instance with operant conditioning if a person is
rewarded with attention for displaying depressive behaviour then they will
repeat the behaviour. Anorexia can be seen as being caused by people
observing and imitating super-thin role models presented in a positive light by
the media. This is a social learning theory explanation. Behaviourists believe
the mind is an unnecessary concept and so therefore there is no such thing as
mental disorders or mental illnesses, only abnormal behaviours. Also if
abnormal behaviours are learned, then they can be unlearned and it is this
idea that underpins behavioural treatments.
Behaviourism is very good at explaining disorders that do have an
environmental component, for instance a lot of phobias are learned through
experience. However, there are also a lot of mental conditions, such as
schizophrenia, which cannot be explained in this way. Thoughts and emotions
have been shown to be…
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