Behaviourist model of abnormality

This approach to explaining human behaviour developed out of an unhappiness with the psychodynamic approach, particularly the lack of scientific methods used.  Early behaviourists included Ivan Pavlov and John Watson of ‘Little Albert’ fame.  Later BF Skinner and others added their thoughts.  (Note; very rarely used, the BF stands for Burrhus Frederic).

1. Assumptions

Behaviourists believe that all behaviour is learned and that includes abnormal behaviour

Learning occurs through the processes of conditioning or modelling (imitating).

Behaviours can be unlearned, which is the method used for treatment.

2. Explanations

Classical conditioning (learning by association)

We learn by associating things together.  Classic (pardon the pun) examples include Pavlov’s dogs and Little Albert.

Pavlov’s dogs learned to associate a bell with food so that eventually the sound of the bell alone would cause the dogs to salivate.  Little Albert learned to associate a white rat with loud and frightening noises so that after a few days anything white and furry would evoke a fear response. 

In this way, according to behaviourists we can learn undesirable or strange responses to all sorts of situations.  The most common application of this aspect of behaviourist psychology is to the explanation of phobias.  Picture yourself as a child in the kitchen with mummy (sorry bit of sexist stereotyping going on here; first why isn’t daddy in the kitchen and secondly…), mummy sees a spider and  very loudly causing you to b afraid too.  You have learned by observation to associate spiders and fear!

Evaluation

This approach offers a simple and testable theory of learning. 

However it is seen as far too simplistic.  It may offer an explanation of phobias but how can you learn delusions, depression or hallucinations by association?

Even in the case of phobias it is often not possible for people to think of any incident like this that may have triggered the phobia in the first place.  Menzies & Clark (1993) reported that only 2% of children who had hydrophobia (a fear of water, not necessarily rabies!) had suffered a traumatic event involving water.  However DiNardo et al (1988) found that 50% of children with dog phobia had experienced an unpleasant experience with man’s best friend in the past.

The behaviourist model also struggles to explain why we acquire phobias for some objects/events quicker than others.  In a modern world, fast cars, wintery conditions and using a mobile whilst crossing the road are far more threatening than spiders and snakes but we don’t develop ‘carphobia.’  Seligman believes we have a genetic predisposition to associate fear with some threats but not others based largely on our more primitive past. 

Operant conditioning (reward and punishment)

If we’re rewarded for a behaviour we are more likely to repeat it in future, if we’re punished we’re less likely to do it in future.  (Who says psychology isn’t rocket science?).  So says Thorndike (1911) when explaining his first law of effect. 

Abnormal behaviour is therefore caused by people reinforcing inappropriate behaviour making it more likely to be repeated.  For example a panic attack gets the child attention making it likely to be repeated. 

Evaluation

It does concentrate on current events rather than childhood, but according to this approach removing the punishment or providing reinforcement should stop abnormal behaviour.

Social Learning Theory (Modelling)

The idea that we acquire behaviour by copying others.  It also has elements of operant conditioning since it recognises the importance of vicarious conditioning.  If a person is observed behaving in a certain way and is then rewarded for their behaviour then the observer is far more likely to copy that behaviour.  The classic experiment in this area is Bandura’s bobo doll procedure in which children watched adults beating up a rubber doll!!!

The most useful applications in explaining psychological disorders has been in phobias and in eating disorders.  Mineka et al (1994) showed monkeys video footage of other monkeys who were clearly frightened of snakes.  When exposed to snakes it was found that the observers had also developed a fear of snakes. 

One theory of eating disorders blames modern western media for their portrayal of the ideal female body shape and slim being seen as desirable.

Evaluation

The behaviourist approach has had some successes, most notably in the treatment of phobias.  It does adopt a scientific approach to studying behaviour in that it concentrates on aspects of life that are observable and measurable, i.e. our behaviour.  It does not for example try to make sense of our thoughts and emotions like the psychodynamic approach.

This is also seen as one of its downfalls.  It is reductionist.  It takes complex human behaviour and attempts to explain it away in very simple terms often using laboratory experiments that lack ecological validity!  (Two ‘all weather’ evaluation comments!).

Another frequent criticism is that behaviourists only consider surface characteristics or symptoms.  Treating a phobic response such as fear or panic is not getting to grips with the root cause of the problem that may for example originate in childhood. 

The remit of the behaviourists is rather like the Hutton Report, very narrow.  They do offer reasonable explanations for phobias and even for eating disorders but there attempts to explain depression and particularly schizophrenia have not been successful.  How can you develop delusions or hallucinations by learning or imitation?

Ethical implications

Crucially, since it assumes that mental illness is caused by events around us, it believes that the patient is not to blame for their behaviour.  Also since it sees the problem as merely a collection of inappropriate behaviours it doesn’t even see psychological disorders as ‘illnesses’ in the traditional sense of the word.  As we shall see when we tackle eating disorders it also considers the cultural, sub-cultural and gender issues relating to psychological disorders. 

Ethically, the criticisms are reserved for the treatments it suggests.  Aversion therapy involves unpleasantness such as inducing sickness or inflicting pain and behaviour modification techniques have been criticised because they can be used to control people.

Next page