Dysfunctional Behaviour Case Study

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Psychologists don’t each approach dysfunctional behavior the same way and there are seven approaches used to explain and treat dysfunctional behavior; these approaches include biological, behavioral, psychodynamic, cognitive, humanistic, sociocultural and diathesis-stress (Boyd, n.d.). The biological approach believes that behavior is a consequence of our genetics and physiology and that both can help explain dysfunctional behavior (McLeod, 2007). The biological approach is the only approach that looks at the physical point of view, so the issues looked at involve physical illness, chemical imbalance, etc…and biological treatment are most likely pharmacological (Boyd, n.d.). While the biological approach is very scientific, it also does not take in the uniqueness of each individual and tends to generalize certain dysfunctional behaviors to everyone ("Strength and Weaknesses," n.d.). The behavioral approach …show more content…

Treatment using the behavioral approach would focus on changing the dysfunctional behavior, not on addressing the underlying causes of the behavior (Boyd, n.d.). The behavioral approach uses scientific methods of research that are measurable and observable, but it focuses too much on behavior being learned, when environmental factors have been proven to affect behavior ("Strength and Weaknesses," n.d.). The psychodynamic approach is a complete contrast to the behavioral approach, it instead “focuses on trying to get inside the head of individuals to make sense of their relationships, experiences and how they see the world” (McLeod, 2007) and views dysfunctional behavior as result of unconscious urges and conscious desires (Boyd, n.d.). The psychodynamic approach takes both

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