Discuss the Biological Approach to Psychopathy.
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Discuss the biological approach to psychopathy.
People are complex and their behaviour has many possible causes. There are four different models of abnormality. The biological model put the emphasis of abnormal behaviour on biological processes.
The Biomedical Model assumes that abnormal behaviour is caused by illnesses or malfunctions affecting the nervous system, a Biological Dysfunction. Biological psychologists suggest that illnesses are caused by the biochemistry of the brain, an imbalance of certain hormones or neurotransmitters. For example high levels of serotonin are connected with anxiety and low levels of serotonin have been associated with depressed individuals.
Another suggestion is that if the structure of the brain is damaged or improperly formed then thinking, emotion and behaviour may change. Research has shown that schizophrenics have enlarged ventricles in their brain, indicating shrinkage of brain tissue around these spaces; they could also suffer from cellular disarray of Hippocampus.
Abnormalities in the brain are sometime the result of genetic inheritance. Psychologist can investigate this by looking at identical twin studies. They compare the twins to see whether when one twin has a disorder, the other has it also. This provides us with a concordance rate this is the rate at which an individual is compared biologically to another.
Some research suggests that some abnormal behaviour is due to being exposed chemical poisoning or viral infection in utero. Torrey (2001) found that mothers of many schizophrenics had contracted influenza while pregnant. It is suggested that the virus embeds itself in the foetus’ brain, where it remains dormant until the child reaches puberty where other hormones may activate it, producing the symptoms of schizophrenia.
When the biological model was first recognised it led to more humane treatment for patients and was the end of burning people at the stake and trepanning. It allowed the medical community...
People are complex and their behaviour has many possible causes. There are four different models of abnormality. The biological model put the emphasis of abnormal behaviour on biological processes.
The Biomedical Model assumes that abnormal behaviour is caused by illnesses or malfunctions affecting the nervous system, a Biological Dysfunction. Biological psychologists suggest that illnesses are caused by the biochemistry of the brain, an imbalance of certain hormones or neurotransmitters. For example high levels of serotonin are connected with anxiety and low levels of serotonin have been associated with depressed individuals.
Another suggestion is that if the structure of the brain is damaged or improperly formed then thinking, emotion and behaviour may change. Research has shown that schizophrenics have enlarged ventricles in their brain, indicating shrinkage of brain tissue around these spaces; they could also suffer from cellular disarray of Hippocampus.
Abnormalities in the brain are sometime the result of genetic inheritance. Psychologist can investigate this by looking at identical twin studies. They compare the twins to see whether when one twin has a disorder, the other has it also. This provides us with a concordance rate this is the rate at which an individual is compared biologically to another.
Some research suggests that some abnormal behaviour is due to being exposed chemical poisoning or viral infection in utero. Torrey (2001) found that mothers of many schizophrenics had contracted influenza while pregnant. It is suggested that the virus embeds itself in the foetus’ brain, where it remains dormant until the child reaches puberty where other hormones may activate it, producing the symptoms of schizophrenia.
When the biological model was first recognised it led to more humane treatment for patients and was the end of burning people at the stake and trepanning. It allowed the medical community...