Models of Abnormal
Uploaded by CaseyP on Sep 01, 2017
Question 1: Critical Thinking
There exist several problems associated with the utilization of a medical approach to gain an understanding of etiology of most physiological disorders. One of the challenges is the view of these disorders as a disease. This approach introduces the problem of insufficient understanding of psychopathology. Additionally, this model’s major crippling flaw is the fact that it’s incapable of making provisions for neither the person as a whole nor data of a social or psychological nature. In simple terms, biology cannot simply account for psychological disorders. Problems of this nature require being accounted for by the levels of processes and data. Examples of these levels include the social and cognitive ones. While integrating knowledge from all levels it’s good to note that each of the approaches has its benefits and challenges. Therefore, reliance on biological measures alone cannot lead to sustainable solutions to this challenge. Moreover, in this approach, issues are only explained in relation to abnormal biological variables. A disorder is, therefore, viewed and analyzed in relation to the underlying physical mechanisms which include physiological and biochemical processes. This strategy also strives to reduce various complex phenomena such as emotions, behaviors, and thoughts into a more basic entity which is easily understood. This is because the concept embraces the philosophy of reductionism which advocates for the reduction of a problem to the basis of biological processes. Consequently, research and treatment are also limited to employing only searching and altering biological variables. Errors may usually arise in this process because most psychological disorders require a combination of a wide range of knowledge for both treatment and research to be carried out effectively.
A perfect example why biological approach, just like any other single social or psychological approach, can’t explain these disorders can be explained through real life experiences. For example, a blush cannot be fully explained by application of biological knowledge. At a biological level, a blush is a simple vascular change in the human body. In reliance on medical knowledge, we could analyze the physiological mechanism behind the occurrence of this act. This approach does not offer sufficient explanation since it’s also critical to know why the blush occurs. An effective psychotherapy model should offer insight on both the reasons for occurrence and process itself. It’s also crucial to understand the played by psychological events in the occurrence of this event....