Core Assumptions
What are the core assumptions and key features of the biological and psychoanalytic perspectives in psychology? In what ways are they similar and how do they differ?
When comparing the biological and psychoanalytic approach to psychology, you are able to see that they are different from one another. For example, the biological approach assumes that the mind and behaviour originate from the functioning of the body and that behaviour is driven by biological instincts. Whereas the psychoanalytic approach claims behaviour is driven by instincts such as the unconscious processes as well as the conflict between unconscious desires (pleasure and reality principle). Additionally, both approaches have a common feature of being reductionist, deterministic and materialistic. This essay will look at the biological and psychoanalytic perspective and identify the core assumptions and key features, as well as comparing them both.
One of the main core assumptions in the biological perspective is that all behaviour can be explained through biological functions and it has a physical root. (materialism). It has a structuralist view point since behaviour is studied in terms of the underlying structure.
Three of the major features in the biological perspective include evolutionary adaption, brain function and biochemistry. In terms of evolutionary adaptation, it is claimed that a lot of behaviour patterns are based on genetics due to humans evolving over a long period of time in order to adapt to their environment. It also suggests that genes are hereditary as they are passed down from one generation to the other through natural selection. This feature can be seen as deterministic as it claims that certain psychological traits are inherited or pre-determined leaving no space for the environmental influence, cognition and experiences a person may encounter. This also makes free will not important to this approach as it claims that genes are hereditary which means we have no
When comparing the biological and psychoanalytic approach to psychology, you are able to see that they are different from one another. For example, the biological approach assumes that the mind and behaviour originate from the functioning of the body and that behaviour is driven by biological instincts. Whereas the psychoanalytic approach claims behaviour is driven by instincts such as the unconscious processes as well as the conflict between unconscious desires (pleasure and reality principle). Additionally, both approaches have a common feature of being reductionist, deterministic and materialistic. This essay will look at the biological and psychoanalytic perspective and identify the core assumptions and key features, as well as comparing them both.
One of the main core assumptions in the biological perspective is that all behaviour can be explained through biological functions and it has a physical root. (materialism). It has a structuralist view point since behaviour is studied in terms of the underlying structure.
Three of the major features in the biological perspective include evolutionary adaption, brain function and biochemistry. In terms of evolutionary adaptation, it is claimed that a lot of behaviour patterns are based on genetics due to humans evolving over a long period of time in order to adapt to their environment. It also suggests that genes are hereditary as they are passed down from one generation to the other through natural selection. This feature can be seen as deterministic as it claims that certain psychological traits are inherited or pre-determined leaving no space for the environmental influence, cognition and experiences a person may encounter. This also makes free will not important to this approach as it claims that genes are hereditary which means we have no
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