Evaluate the biological approach

Strengths of the Biological Approach

It has high scientific credibility. The Biological Approach uses rigorous methods of investigation including experiments and observations to study behaviour. This scientific precise method makes the approach reliable and testable.
Provides clear predictions that can inform treatments. The understanding of biochemical processes has led to the development of psychoactive drugs that can treat certain disorders.
The Approach is deterministic and can therefore predict behaviour. If your biological makeup determines your behaviour then it should be possible to accurately predict how you will behave in different situations.

It can be reductionist. By breaking down the complex behaviour into its simplest parts, such as genes and neurons, this approach may oversimplify the interactions within the organism and with the environment.
Biased towards a nature viewpoint in the nature vs nurture debate, which doesn’t consider environmental impact and learning process in shaping an individual’s behaviour.
The approach is criticized for being deterministic by suggesting that our behaviour is entirely controlled by our biology and thus defies the notion of free will.

In therapies and treatments. For example, medication to alter brain chemistry can be used to treat disorders like depression.
In understanding genetic predispositions to behaviours, it can help in predicting certain behaviours, for instance, addiction.

Studies in this approach often involve invasive methods, such as brain surgery or animal testing, raising ethical concerns.
Issues related to consent, privacy and distress can also arise especially when dealing with patients with mental illness.

The Biological Approach might lead to stigmatisation of individuals with certain genetic markers associated with undesired behaviours.
Use of medication based on this approach could lead to a ‘quick fix’ culture, where people may prefer taking pills rather than making lifestyle changes or addressing underlying psychological issues.