What Are The Five Main Psychological Perspectives Of Behaviour

Psychology seeks to understand and explain thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

There are five main psychological perspectives: Biological, Behaviour, Cognitive,

Psychodynamic and Humanistic. There are many similarities and differences

between these perspectives but only behaviour and biological will be compared and

evaluated in this essay.

Biological approach focuses on an individual biological make- up, genetic nature,

hormones and neurotransmitters, to explain and reduce all behaviour from the

biological system. Whereas, the behaviourist approach focuses on the environment

and the assumption is that all behaviour is learnt from the environment through

conditioning (operant and classical).

In the nature-nurture argument, the
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drug reduces the symptoms of hallucinations and delusions to allow sufferers to

process information.

The strength of drug therapy is that it is quick, easy to administer and cheaper than

other therapy. It also allows patients to live at home, as it enable them to live a

relatively normal life. The limitations are that the drugs only reduces the symptoms

and not deal with the cause, which can cause a relapse if the drugs are

discontinued. Some sufferers can become dependent on the drugs and some also

have side effects like weight gain.

Behaviourist on the other hand uses behaviour therapy. Operant conditioning

therapy is used in mental illness, which carefully analyse what causes maladaptive

behaviour of the sufferer and then produce environmental changes to increase

adaptive behaviour and reduce maladaptive behaviour. This is done with token

economy, to teach sufferers how to be normal within society again, by rewarding

them for good behaviour and doing things that are considered