The Biological Model of Abnormality The Biological model suggests there are four possible causes of mental
illness, the subject’s genes, biochemistry, infection and
neuroanatomy.
Neuroanatomy, or the nervous system, could be to blame for
abnormality, because many Schchizophrenics have irregularly shaped
brains comparison to normal people. Yet it is not clear if this is a
cause or effect of the illness, all we know is that there is a
correlation.
There is also a correlation between schizophrenics and biological
abnormalities, like high amounts of dopamine. Biochemical factors
could be to blame for being mentally ill due to imbalances in their
brain chemistry, such as too much or too little of a particular
neurotransmitter. These are chemicals which transmit nerve impulses
from one synapse to another.
Infection could be to blame for abnormality, due to germs, bacteria
and viruses. An example of this is with Syphilis which sometimes leads
to brain deteriation which gave rise to psychotic behaviours such as
delusions. This is widely thought to be due to your body unable to
cope with the infection effectively.
Genetic Factors could cause mental illness if you inherit a gene which
causes mental illness. A study has shown that twins with the same
genes, the concordance rate for schizophrenia is 42% whereas for twins
with 50% of the same genes the rate is 9%. Yet the twins with the same
genes would have shared the same environment, so this could be to
blame rather than the twins having the same genes.
Furthermore many other weaknesses are associated with the biological
model. With the study for the MZ and DZ twins there is never a 100%
concordance rate, which should be the case if an illness is totally
It is hard to comprehend how and why people lose their sanity and become mad. I will address how the mind’s struggles caused by individual genes, stress and social-cultural influence affect the lives of Naomi, a 24-year-old college student with schizophrenia and Eric, a 27-year-old classical musician with severe depression. Their thoughts and behavior surprised me as this is my first time exposed to what these mental illnesses are. The relation between the mind and the body and the fact that the emotions affect the functioning of the body and vice versa explains the how and why a person become insane.
Kaplan, H. I., Sadock, B. J., & Grebb, J. A. (1994). Synopsis of psychiatry: behavioral sciences,
Scientists have been focusing on the impact of genes on behavior and the development of psychological disorders. This research has contributed to the understanding of many disorders, specifically substance-related disorders.
If one wanted to know their chance of carrying or having the disease creating a punnet square could help determine that. A normal person without Albinism or the presence of the allele melanin can be represented by capital “A” and another allele that represents the lack of melanin will be represented with lower case “a”. Since Albinism is an autonomic recessive disease, this means a person with a homozygous recessive gene will have the disease. Both parents must be heterozygous dominant and carry the allele; they will have a 25% chance of having a child with albinism and a 70% chance of having a child carrying the disease. If one parent is heterozygous that still carries the flawed gene and the other parent is homozygous dominant there will be a 50% chance their child will carry the disease but wont have a child with Albinism.
Excluding your immediate family members, are you more likely to be genetically like someone who looks like you or someone who does not?
of passing the gene to each child with each pregnancy. The sex of the child helps to determine the expression of the gene. There is a 3-4 times more chance of a son having the gene than a daughter. Only about 10% of TS patients get severe enough to
Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology in the area within psychology that is focused on maladaptive behavior-its causes, consequences, and treatment. Abnormal psychology deals with how it feels to be different, the meanings the get attached to being different, and how society deals with people whom it considers to be different. The spectrum of differences is wide, ranging from reality defying delusions and severe debilitations to worries and behavioral quirks that we would be better off not having but do not significantly interfere with our daily lives. An example of the milder end of the spectrum is a man who was an eminently successful district attorney, was elected governor of New York on three occasions, and was almost elected president of the United States in 1948. This man, Thomas E. Dewy, reached the pinnacle of success, displaying such qualities as rectitude, efficiency, precision, and nearly limitless capacity for hard work.
1. Your uncle consumes a quart of whiskey per day; he has trouble remembering the names of those around him.
The biological approach emphasizes physical and biological bases of behaviour. It looks at how brain functions influence different behaviours and personality. The study of nervous system has played a major role in the development of biological approach to psychology. On the other hand, the psychoanalytic approach explains personality, motivation and psychological disorders by focusing on the influence of early childhood experiences, unconscious motives and conflicts. This essay attempts to explain biological and psychoanalytic approaches to psychology with focus on their core assumptions, key features, similarities and differences.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences. (2010). "21st-Century Genetics." The New Genetics, p. 74-83. Retrieved from http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/thenewgenetics/chapter5.html
The biological approach to psychology makes the assumption that all behaviours are associated with changes in the brain function and that psychopathology will be caused by a disorder within the brain, neuroanatomy. Many biological psychologists tend to assume that most behaviours, normal and disordered, involve an inherited component from the biological parents. In theory this suggests that all behaviours can be related to changes in brain activity.
Bio-Psychologists study the principles of biology as it relates to the comprehension of psychology in the field neuroscience that underlies ones emotions, ideology, and actions (Brittanica). Based upon the conduction of research, the relationship between the brain and ones behavior extends to the physiological process in one’s intellect. Scientists are cognizant that neurotransmitters function as a significant role in mood regulation and other aspects of psychological problems including depression and anxiety. A biological perspective are relevant to psychology in three techniques including: the comparative method, physiology, and the investigation of inheritance (Saul Mc. Leod).
The Psychodynamic Model of Abnormality The psychodynamic model of abnormality is useful to an extent. However it has many weaknesses. The psychodynamic model of abnormality was initiated by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud was very interested in hysteria.
There are various theories within the biological explanation as to why individuals commit criminal behaviour, these include: genetic theory, hereditary theory, psychosis and brain injury theory. In the next few paragraphs examples of each will be shown.