Approaches in Psychology (Biological and Psychodynamic)

Question 1

What are the three basic assumptions of the biological approach?

Answer 1

1. Human behav. can be explained by looking at biological factors such as genetics
2. If all behaviour is caused by biological factors, abnormal behaviour could be removed through biological treatments e.g drug therapy
3. Animal research is viable since we share biological similarities

Question 2

What are two pieces of research that have looked at the genetic basis of schizophrenia?

Answer 2

1. Gottesman (meta-analysis of twin studies): found there was a 48% concordance rate for schizophrenia between MZ twins, implying a very strong genetic basis. However, MZ twins are typically treated more similarly in a family env, so the env. (nurture) has a signif. influence.
2. Heston (adoption studies): 47 adopted children whose biological mothers were sufferers were followed into adulthood. 5 became schizophrenic. However, interview data is affected by SDB.

Question 3

Outline Maguire et al

Answer 3

Aim: to investigate changes in brain structure
Procedure: MRI scans used to compare 16 male London taxi drivers to a control group. All drivers had been working for at least 18 months.
Findings: The right posterior hippocampus was signif. larger in the taxi driver group. The size was relative to how long the driver had been working.
Conclusion: Environmental demands can alter brain structure

Question 4

How might neurochemistry influence behaviour?

Answer 4

Too much or too little of a particular neurotransmitter may produce psychological disorders e.g too much dopamine has been linked to schizophrenia.

Question 5

What are some strengths of the biological approach?

Answer 5

• Highly scientific and uses objective methods - reduced researcher bias - allows for the findings of research to be generalised
• Biological causes of mental health problems - treated with drug therapy e.g prozac for depression - allows for an increased QOL

Question 6

What are some weaknesses of the biological approach?

Answer 6

• Highly reductionist - simplifies complex behaviours down to biological cause and effect relationships - alternative relevant factors may therefore be missed
• Focuses too much on the nature side of the debate - ignores the nurture side of the debate and the influence of the environment - limiting as only partial explanations of behaviour can be developed

Question 7

What are the three constituents of the unconscious mind?

Answer 7

1. Conscious - awareness of the env.
2. Preconscious - memories that can be recalled at will
3. Unconscious - consists of memories, deep unassimilable desires and fears which are repressed by defence mechanisms.

Question 8

What are the three components of the personality?

Answer 8

Id - animalistic, uses the ‘pleasure principle’, unconscious
Ego - mediator between the superego and id, uses the ‘reality principle’, conscious and unconscious
Superego - responsible for the guilt emotion, uses the ‘morality principle’, conscious and unconscious

Question 9

What are the three defence mechanisms?

Answer 9

Repression: ego prevents unassimilable and uncomfortable thoughts from becoming conscious.
Denial: unwanted reality is blocked from the conscious mind.
Displacement: negative impulses are redirected onto someone or something else.

Question 10

What are the 5 stages of pscyhosexual development?

Answer 10

1. Oral - 0-18 months - sucking behaviour
2. Anal - 18 months to 3.5 years - passing or retaining faeces
3. Phallic - 3.5 to 6 years - genital fixation (Oedipus and Electra complexes)
4. Latency - 6 years to puberty - repressed sexual urges
5. Genital - puberty to adulthood - awakened sexual urges

Question 11

What happens if a child receives too little or gains too much pleasure during one of the psychosexual phases?

Answer 11

The child becomes fixated; oral fixation involves later smoking or nail biting.

Question 12

What are the strengths of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 12

• Provides an alternative treatment for psychological issues in the form of psychoanalysis therapy - patients will be assisted in discovering their unconscious desires and dealing with them - enables them to rejoin society
• Combines nature and nurture - the approach incorporates all possible causes of a behaviour and takes individual uniqueness into account - increases the explanatory power and likelihood of successful treatment

Question 13

What is a weakness of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 13

• Very unscientific, methods used are very subjective and unfalsifiable - empirical testing cannot be used to disprove/prove a theory - makes any conclusions drawn unreliable and open to bias, no cause and effect