Outline and evaluate the cognitive approach to psychopathology The cognitive approach to psychopathology focuses on the theory that abnormality is caused by faulty cognitions about ourselves‚ others and our worlds. Our behaviour is controlled by these cognitions‚ consequently if these are faulty‚ it can cause abnormal behaviour. In 1962 Ellis proposed the A-B-C model. This suggests that a certain behaviour will first start with an activating event (such as seeing a large dog). This will then
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Outline and evaluate The SLT theory of aggression. Aggression is defined by Baron & Richardson (1993) as ‘any form of behaviour directed towards the goal of harming or injuring another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment’. According to Social Learning Theory aggressive behaviour is developed through the environment (rather than being an innate tendency – as the biological and psychoanalytical theories would suggest). If biological theories of aggression were faultless it
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Outline and evaluate the behavioural approach to abnormality This approach focuses on the behaviour of the person to explain psychological abnormalities. It believes that the behaviour is learnt‚ and therefore can be unlearnt. It focuses on 3 different things: classical conditioning‚ operant conditioning and social learning theory. Classical conditioning was developed by Pavlov through his work on animals. He explained the development of abnormal behaviours through stimulus-response associations
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Outline and evaluate biological explanations of obesity Various explanations can be provided for the reasons of obesity‚ from biological explanations‚ to neurological and evolutionary theories. Even socio-economic reasons could give insight into why some people have a higher likeliness of obesity Evolutionarily‚ the thrifty gene hypothesis provides insight as to why many suffer from obesity‚ as it suggests that our current genes are no longer suited to our new environment. Modern day society is
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Outline and evaluate psychological explanations of schizophrenia (24 marks) Brown and Birley studied stressful life events in the role of relapse in schizophrenics. They found that 50% of people experience a stressful life event e.g. death‚ relationship break-up‚ job loss etc. in the 3 weeks prior to a schizophrenic episode. A control sample reported a low and unchanging level of stressful life events over the same period. However not all evidence supports the role of life events. For example‚
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Outline and evaluate biological explanations for aggression (24) The biological explanation for aggression states that aggression is innate behavior in people and the environment around them does not cause it. Neurotransmitters in the brain‚ chemicals that allow impulses to be transmitted from one area to another‚ can be used to explain why some people are aggressive. There is evidence to suggest that the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine are linked to aggression‚ low levels of serotonin
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Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s theory of attachment (12 marks) Bowlby was an evolutionary Psychologist who believed that attachment is a part of evolutionary behaviour and focus on an animal’s instinctive and innate capabilities‚ and the functions of their behaviour. They believe this is useful for learning about human instinctive and biological behaviour. Attachment behaviour keeps a young animal or human safe. It is behaviour seen in all species of animal. Many species of animal form rapid attachments
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Outline and Evaluate Biological Explanation for Mental Illness The Biomedical model of Mental Illness states that metal illness is caused by either a physical problem with the brain‚ for example that some schizophrenic patients have parts of there hippocampus missing. Genetics‚ meaning that you inherit a genetic pre-disposition to depression or some other mental illness as someone in your close family had that mental illness‚ or down to neurotransmitter (serotonin‚ dopamine...) imbalances in
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Outline and evaluate the biological explanation of depression. Biological explanation of depression can be explained by neurotransmitter dysfunction. Neurotransmitters such as noradrenalin and serotonin have been shown to be linked with depression. Bunney at al (1965) found that there was low levels of noradrenaline function in the brain of depressed individuals. Also‚ post mortem studies found increased noradrenaline receptors in the brains of depressed suicide victims. When there is low noradrenaline
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Outline and evaluate the behavioural approach to psychopathology. (12 marks) Behaviourists believe that all of a person’s complex behaviours are the result of learning through interaction with the environment. Behaviourists deal with the following forms of learning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In classical conditioning people learn to associate two stimuli when they occur together‚ such that the response originally elicited by one stimulus is transferred to another. The person
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