Psychological Approach To Human Behavior

Human behavior can be explained by various approaches in psychology. The Behavioral approach considers all behaviors to be learnt while Psychodynamic approach states that behavior is innate. Therefore human behavior cannot be restricted to be explained by a single description. Human behavior can be classified as normal and abnormal. For this differentiation various criteria can be used.

In considering the general definition, abnormal behavior is behavior which deviates from the social norms which are shaped by cultural and moral values of the society, and social expectations. Considering a more scientific approach, abnormal behavior is defined by statistical deviation. The characteristics which significantly deviate from the majority which

Schizophrenia is defined as "a severe mental disorder, characterized by profound disruptions in thinking, affecting language, perception, and the sense of self" in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Schizophrenic patients show symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and disorganized speech and behavior. Schizophrenia is believed to be caused by various factor from different approaches in psychology.

The biological approach or also referred to as the medical model emphasizes that abnormal behavior is caused by physiological underlying factors, which led to the creation of drugs for treatment. The biological approach is diverse from other psychological approaches but it is highly accepted as the biological factors and processes are backed up by empirical evidence such as twin studies, animal and human trials, and scans.

Under the medical model the underlying genetic factors, bio-chemical nature, structural factors, somatic factors and diseases are considered. As mentioned above if schizophrenia is considered as the example, the underlying causative factors can be explained by using the medical

It has shown structural differences between the brain of schizophrenics and controls. One of the major differences observed is the significant loss of grey matter (about 25%) in the frontal and temporal regions of the brain of schizophrenic patients. Considering the fact that the frontal lobe is associated with thinking, emotions, speech and the temporal lobe is associated in the perception and recognition of auditory stimuli can explain the development of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations. MRI scans have shown enlarged ventricles in the brains of schizophrenic patients compared to normal people which is associated to the loss of brain tissue. Reveley et al (1986) compared CT scans of monozygotic twins of whom one was schizophrenic while the the other was normal and was able to observe the enlarged ventricles. PET scans show less brain activity in the prefrontal region in the brain of individuals suffering from schizophrenia compared to controls. Stevens (1982) observed fibrillary gliosis which is the formation of a dense fibrous tissue network in places of brain damage usually by astrocytes, in the diencephalon of 70% of schizophrenic patients. This led to the neuropathological study of schizophrenia. (P. J.