Explain The Key Features Of The Biological Approach

The biological approach is another main school in psychology which focuses on the body and mind and how our brains affect behaviour. Charles Darwin was one of the first psychologists to look into this approach when he created evolutionary psychology. Darwin believed in Natural Selection, that humans and animals changed and adapted in order to survive. The changes that increased survival would be inherited and passed to the next generation and those that decreased survival would be lost, this is natural selection. Darwin also believed that certain behaviours were evolved. Gregor Mendel was another biologist who added to the approach. He was studying pea plants when he discovered that genes come in pairs, one from each parent. These genes determine our physical and behavioural characteristics. For example if one parent has a short temper then the child could inherit this. The work of Mendel and Darwin helped explain
One being the endocrine system; the endocrine system is a system of glands that control the way our bodies work by releasing hormones. There are different glands that control a different part of the body and behaviour. The pituitary gland is one of the most important as it is responsible for height, weight, muscle growth and mental development; it also directs the other glands. The thyroid is responsible for metabolism and its speed. The adrenal glands are responsible for the way your body uses energy, it releases the hormone adrenaline for when you are under stress or need a sudden surge of energy. In women the ovaries release oestrogen which can affect behaviour and emotions during the menstrual cycle . In men the testes release testosterone. These hormones are what make men and women so different. Each gland affects the way we behave, and in imbalance in hormones or too much or little of a hormone being released can greatly influence the way