...The biological approach to abnormality assumes that psychopathology is largely down to the four main physiological factors: infection, neuroanotmy, neurochemistry and genetics. Infection is the result of pathogens entering the blood stream and entering the blood brain barrier or the nervous system. These pathogens cause diseases of the brain. For example in 1900's 3rd stage syphilis caused dementia and finally death. However this part of the biological approach is a very small explanation of abnormality, and with large advancements modern medicine is becoming decreasingly unseen. Another issue is multi-finality. For example schizophrenia has been associated with the flu during pregnancy, however not every expectant mother with flu has a schizophrenic child. A lot of other factors are involved in the disease, and simply labelling flu as the only cause is going to cause issues in the understanding of multiple factors. Neuroanatomy refers to the different activities and structures of the brain regions and tissue. This is often tested through MRI scans of normal people and comparing to those mentally ill. One example is schizophrenia where the ventricles appear enlarged and the amount of grey matter in the brain is reduced. It is however hard to differentiate between causation and effect, as not knowing which proceeds which can only lead to guess work in terms of causation. Another issue is not every mentally ill person has the same structural abnormalities, and where one schizophrenic...
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...THE BIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY Approaches to psychopathology are based on different views of the CAUSE of abnormality. The models have different views about how abnormality comes about in the first place Assumptions of the biological model • Abnormality is caused by physical factors – as all behaviour is associated with changes in brain function, abnormal behaviour will be caused by changes in either the structure or function of the brain. - For example in terms of the structure of the brain (neuroanatomy) a damaged hypothalamus has been linked to anorexia - In terms of the function of the brain, neurotransmitters and hormones have been linked to psychopathology, e.g. low levels of serotonin have been lined to depression. • Abnormality is inherited – the genetic view is that there are abnormal genes that are inherited, i.e. passed down from parents to children, even though they may not be shown in every generation. Family, twin and adoption studies are used to establish concordance rates (this shows the extent to which members of the same family share a particular characteristic) to test for genetic predispositions as an explanation of abnormality. - For example Holland et al (1988) found a 56% concordance rate for identical twins (MZ) and only a 5% concordance rate for non-identical twins (DZ) in anorexia nervosa which supports the idea of a genetic basis for abnormality. Evaluation of the biological model Strengths ...
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...Essay plan: ‘Discuss the biological approach to psychopathology’. PARAGRAPH 1- A01: Intro- explain the biological approach including key assumptions. • Biological approach regards abnormality as an illness or disease. • Assumes all mental disorders are related to some change in the body. • Mental disorders are related to the physical structure and functioning of the brain. • Seen people with psychological abnormality as ‘patients’ who are ‘ill’ and require ‘treatment’ to ‘cure’ them of disease. • Four possible factors that cause abnmormality: 1. Genetic Factors 2. Biochemistry 3. Infection 4. Brain Damage PARAGRAPH 2- AO1/2: Explain one cause of abnormality according to the biological approach and give supporting evidence. Brain damage. • Suggests that mental illnesses are caused by abnormal brain structure due to genes, development, illness or trauma. • Damage to the structure of the brain can lead to abnormal behaviour. • Once brain damage has caused mental illness there is little to be done to stop it. Examples • Alzheimer- a type of dementia caused by the malformation and loss of cells in a number of areas of the nervous system. • Alcohol and drugs can also damage the brain, which may result in korsakoffs syndrome – prefound impairment of memory most commonly caused by alcohol. Evidence. • Lawrie showed that an average schizophrenic lateral ventricle were 40% bigger than controls. This suggests that brain damage has caused schizophrenia. PARAGRAPH...
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...The biological approach states that psychological disorders are physical illnesses, and that the cause may be one or more of the following: brain injury, infection, neurotransmitters or genetics. Accidental brain damage can lead to psychological disorders. Some examples are, a degeneration or malformation of brain cells can cause memory loss often present in Alzheimer’s disease. Korsakoff’s syndrome occurs when alcohol and drugs damage part of the brain involved with memory. We are familiar with the idea that bacteria or viruses causing physical illnesses, e.g. flu or meningitis, however it seems that infection can also cause mental illnesses. For example, influenza has been linked to schizophrenia. Torrey found that the mothers of schizophrenic people had contacted a particular strain of influenza during pregnancy. The virus may enter the unborn child’s brain where it is dormant until puberty, when other hormones activate it, producing schizophrenic symptoms. Neurotransmitters are thought to be out of balance in the nervous systems id individuals with certain psychological disorders/ mental illnesses. Depression has been associated with decrease availability of serotonin, and has also been associated with higher than normal levels of the cortisol hormone. Images of the brain have measured the action of neurotransmitters and associated illness like depression, (Mann et al. 1996). Important new genetic research has highlighted the possibility that some people may be genetically...
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...Discuss two or more definitions of abnormality (12 marks) One definition of abnormality is “deviation from social norms” and under this definition a person’s thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it violates the unwritten rules about what is expected or acceptable behaviour in a particular social group. Behaviour may be incomprehensible to others or make others feel threatened or uncomfortable. For example, someone would be classified as being abnormal if they laughed at a funeral, as this is socially unacceptable. A weakness of this definition is that it lacks cultural relativity as social behaviour varies when different cultures are compared. For e.g. it’s common in south Europe to stand much closer to strangers than in the UK. As well as this voice pitch and volume, touching, directions of gaze and acceptable subjects for discussion have all been found to vary between cultures. This means what is considered deviant or abnormal varies considerably across cultures, thus weakening this definition. Another limitation of deviation from social norms is that it lacks time validity. This is because social norms change over time; behaviour that was once seen as abnormal may be acceptable and vice versa. For example, drink driving was once considered acceptable but is now seen as socially unacceptable whereas homosexuality has changed the other way. Until 1980 homosexuality was considered a psychological disorder but is considered acceptable today. This is a weakness...
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...definitions of abnormality (12 marks) One definition of abnormality is “deviation from social norms” and under this definition a person’s thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it violates the unwritten rules about what is expected or acceptable behaviour in a particular social group. Behaviour may be incomprehensible to others or make others feel threatened or uncomfortable. For example, someone would be classified as being abnormal if they laughed at a funeral, as this is socially unacceptable. A weakness of this definition is that it lacks cultural relativity as social behaviour varies when different cultures are compared. For e.g. it’s common in south Europe to stand much closer to strangers than in the UK. As well as this voice pitch and volume, touching, directions of gaze and acceptable subjects for discussion have all been found to vary between cultures. This means what is considered deviant or abnormal varies considerably across cultures, thus weakening this definition. Another limitation of deviation from social norms is that it lacks time validity. This is because social norms change over time; behaviour that was once seen as abnormal may be acceptable and vice versa. For example, drink driving was once considered acceptable but is now seen as socially unacceptable whereas homosexuality has changed the other way. Until 1980 homosexuality was considered a psychological disorder but is considered acceptable today. This is a weakness because it means abnormality cannot...
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...Outline and evaluate the Biological Approach to Depression According to the biological approach all psychological illnesses have a physical cause; it focus is on the treatment not the cure this can support the reason why relapse rates are high for individuals with depression. The biological approach to abnormality states that abnormality is caused by a range of different physical factors: Genetics and chemical imbalances in the brain. It is suggested that people possess certain genetic characteristics that make them more prone to developing abnormal behaviour such as depression. It is also thought that chemical imbalances in the brain produce abnormal behaviour, for example a lack of serotonin causes depression. This approach is better at explaining endogenous depression. Family, twin and adoption studies are used to research into depression. Supporting evidence for the biological approach is that depression is universal, as they are increasing and found cross culturally. Weismann (1987) stated that family evidence suggests that a person is 10 times more likely to suffer from depression, if a parent or sibling has a similar disorder. This could be because living with a person who is depressed could be depressing. However, according to a behavioural explanation this behaviour could have being modelled as the female could identify with the eating disorder and use them as a role model. Also family studies are conducted using retrospective data (looking back) and rely on correct...
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...The behavioural approach believes all behaviour is learnt through conditioning, there are two types of conditioning. Classical conditioning is learning by association. This can be used to explain abnormal behaviour and used to treat it through systematic desensitisation (Wolpe) which is based on the ideas behind classical conditioning. Classical conditioning can explain abnormal behaviour through the study of ‘Little Albert’ in which experimenters taught Albert to associate a white rat with a loud banging sound that led to Albert developing a rat phobia. They also believe abnormal behaviour can be the result of operant conditioning when you learn by reinforcement/ reward. For example, if a child showed fear of a dog and parent rewarded the child with a treat the child would repeat the same behaviour in order to get rewarded which could then develop into a phobia. Abnormality, according to behaviourists, can also be explained through vicarious conditioning ‘social learning’. This is when people learn by imitating or observing role models. For example, for some young girls their role model may be older female celebrities who are thin and often complimented on their figure. Young girls may aim to lose weight to imitate their role models which could develop into eating disorder. The behavioural approach to abnormality does not place blame on the person with an abnormality which means they are not stigmatised but the ethics of this approach are debatable as it could be placing blame...
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...psychology covers a broad range of disorders such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder to sexual deviation. Counselors and clinical as well as psychotherapists work directly with developing a cure (Cherry, 2012). There are many ways to define abnormality: statistical infrequency, violation of social norms, failure to function adequately, and deviation from ideal mental health. The first abnormality is statistical infrequency and with this example according to McLeod (2008), “Under this definition of abnormality, a person's trait, thinking or behavior is classified as abnormal if it is rare or statistically unusual. With this definition it is necessary to be clear about how rare a trait or behavior needs to be before we class it as abnormal”. Violation of social norms is probably one of the most common ways people associate abnormalities. An individuals thinking or behavior is defined as abnormal if they violate the rules that are expected or consider acceptable behavior in a social group. If their behavior is threatening or causes others to feel uncomfortable these individuals are in violation of social norms. Social behavior varies based on different cultures (McLeod, 2008). Failure to function is considered an abnormality due to an individual being unable to cope with day to day demands. Essentially, individuals are not capable of self-care, employment, social skills and making themselves understood. Some examples of failure to function are: suffering, maladaptiveness...
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...Model of Abnormality In psychology, there are numerous models that have been created to treat and explain abnormalities. These models include biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, existential, family-social, and multicultural. Within each of these models, there are specific key techniques, goals and a different role played by a therapist. If I were to create my own model of abnormality, it could be considered a biopsychosocial theory, as it contains parts from each model. Seeing as these abnormalities are focused on humans, my model would have a biological foundation. I believe a good portion of abnormal behavior is caused by brain chemistry and genetics. It is no secret that psychotropic medications have been a great advancement and advantage in the treatment of abnormal behavior. It is also scientifically proven to be a primary cause and there has been strong scientific research to back up the claim. Although effective for many sufferers, a disadvantage of this portion of my model is that not all biological theories and treatments work for everyone. Secondly within my model is a portion of the behavioral model. I believe everyday of our lives we react and respond to our environment and can always change by learning. It is my belief that individuals can be conditioned, whether through operant, model or classical conditioning, to correct and/or desensitize themselves and their behaviors. There is strong research in the field to confirm the advantages...
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...Outline and evaluate the Biological approach to abnormality The biological approach suggests that psychological disorders should be treated medically, as this model puts forward the idea that any psychological abnormality is causes by genetic factors and body malfunctions. The model as 4 different elements that may be the cause of psychological abnormalities; viral infections, biochemistry, brain damage, genetic factors. Several studies have been carried out by different researchers to investigate the theories of the model. Biochemical elements, is one of the highly researched parts of this model, where Weinberger in 2002 carried out research that suggested the 22nd chromosome doubled the risk of developing schizophrenia, another study carried out by Zubieta in 2000, where PET scans helped figured out that 30% higher levels of dopamine, serotin and norepinephrine were i9n people with bipolar disorder. On the other hand Janowsky carried out a study to show how biochemical imbalances lead to manic depression. While souse carried out a study in 2010 where genomes of 1000 autistics and 1200 non autistic participants, results showed that autistic participants carry 20% more copy number variation which suggests that this may be caused due to genetics. The viral infections elements were also researched by brown in 2000 where findings suggested that there’s a link between respiratory infections and the second trimester of pregnancy, which may results in the foetus developing schizophrenia...
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...Understanding Schizophrenia: a Biological Approach NAME: Maria Saldias DATE: 4-28-2011 TITLES OF ARTCILES: 1-“ What Causes Schizophrenia”, by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.& the National Institute of Mental health12,Nov,2006. 2- “The Concept of Progressive Brain Change in Schizophrenia: Implications for Understanding Schizophrenia”, by Linn E. Delisi. 2008 INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is a brain disorder, which interferes with normal brain functioning. It is mainly characterize by major disturbances in perception, language, thought, emotions and behavior. Furthermore, it can also trigger hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and lack of motivation (Rosenberg and Kosslyn). Experts now agree that schizophrenia develops as the result of the combination of a biological predisposition, and the kind of environment the person is exposed to. However, not until recent days, schizophrenia was thought to have “no “organic” cause and thus related to the psychological environment that one was born into” (Delisi). In “What Causes schizophrenia, by Grohol, even though the author emphasis how genetic, behavioral and other factors, are interrelated in the development of the disorder, he emphasis his article in how the tools of biomedical research are being used to search for genes or critical moments of brain development. At the same time, “The concept of Progressive Brain Chain in Schizophrenia:...
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...no clear precise definition for abnormal, which gives rise to challenges in classifying abnormal and normal behavior. Abnormal psychology is a scientific discipline, in which a person acquires information on a person’s behavior and then measures the behavior to hypothesize a cause and treatment. There is a core concept that says that there are multiple causes to abnormal behavior, understanding this can lead to learning about and treating abnormal behavior. These multiple causes can be comprehended by learning about the psychosocial, biological, and sociocultural theoretical models related to the development of abnormal behavior. Abnormal The study of abnormal behavior began early in time when people tried to explain deviant behaviors. Abnormal behavior may have been first attributed to evil spirits. It was common for abnormal behaviors to be associated with witches or sorcerers. With time different areas, such as the psychosocial, biological and sociocultural, saw that they could find an explanation for these odd behaviors. Throughout time there have been problems with defining abnormal behaviors....
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...confirmation of mental illness were the spiritual approach, which originated from the belief that the supernatural or spirits and gods of an unknown realm has an effect on what happens within their earthly domain. This generated a very distinctive way of explaining mental disorders that stem from the physicians of ancient Greece and Rome, yet there were individuals who took a less animistic approach and viewed the behaviors and actions from a biological and scientific aspect (Hansell, 2008). According to the New World Encyclopedia, abnormal psychology is defined as; “a field devoted to the study of causes of mental dysfunctions” (NWE, 2010). Remarkably, this definition as well as many others is indefinite and very vague giving that this field is about 100 years old. The description of what signifies as being abnormal has fluctuated over time as well as cultures. In addition, individuals in society vary in what they may regard as being normal or abnormal behavior. However, throughout the history of this field, decisions on how to define, classify, and explain what abnormal or normal is has been a very difficult task to do. The reason for such difficulty is because of the awareness that defining abnormality creates certain concrete glitches like individuals being wrongly considered or identified as mentally ill, which can lead to some serious ramifications for a mistake of this magnitude. The scientific characterization of abnormality is determined on the five criteria, which...
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...illness was approached from a spiritual point of view. Individuals of certain beliefs would misdiagnose others from the spiritual perspective and would assume that evil spirits controlled his or her’s physical, mental, and observable world (Tyrer, 2010). The following will be covered in this document: the origins of abnormal psychology, classification of normal and abnormal behaviors, how abnormal psychology evolved into a scientific discipline, and the theoretical models related to the development of abnormal psychology. The practice of trephination, a procedure that bore holes in a individuals skull to release evil spirits, was taken place in 3000 B.C. in Peru and Bolivia (Tyrer, 2010). Hippocrates was the first to approach abnormal behaviors from a biological perspective. He believed, “When the fluids were out of balance, this was the cause of mental illness” (Tyrer, 2010, para. 6). His theory was considered and almost close to the truth, in time his theory was proven to be inaccurate. Years later, Freud suggested the idea of conscious and subconscious processes to be the explanation of odd behaviors. He continued to suggest ideas from a psychodynamic perspective, but in the end lacked evidence in his theory. Freud’s theory inspired Wilhelm Wundt to elaborate on his theory. He began the scientific clarification of many psychological abnormal medical conditions, in 1879. G. Stanley Hall released the first diagnostic manual for mental disorders, in 1952 (Tyrer, 2010). “The...
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