Compare and evaluate two psychological
approaches to health and social care
service provision.
A health and social care provision is similar to a health and social care setting; health and
social care provision is a setting within health and social care that provides a service. Some
examples of health and social care provisions are hospitals, GP’s, clinics, psychiatrists and
counsellors. This essay will be the comparison of the biological perspective and the social
learning theory.
The biological perspective proposes scientific explanation – what you inherit from your
biological parents, for example – whereas the social learning theory emphasizes the
importance of your environment growing up, and suggest that we do things through the
process of observational learning from our role models around us. All thoughts, feelings and
behaviours ultimately have a biological cause in the biological perspective whereas the social
learning theory believes that a person’s genetics do somewhat play a part, but it is ultimately
what the person has learned in life that will shape their thoughts, feelings and behaviour
patterns. For example, the biological perspective could state that males will be aggressive due
to their higher levels of testosterone, in comparison to females. However, the social learning
theory could argue that although higher levels of testosterone can contribute to a more
aggressive personality, it is more what we were taught growing up. For example, whether or
not you have high levels of testosterone or not doesn’t change the fact that those children who
witness domestic violence at a young age, are more likely to inflict it on their partner as adults
(www.clarkprosecutor.org). Another example in favour of the biological approach is that some
things are in fact based on genetics. For example, the chances of getting schizophrenia is
10% if one parent has the condition – in comparison to just a 1% chance if you do not have a
parent with schizophrenia (www.schizophrenia.com). However, again, other factors contribute to
this. For example, smoking cannabis has been proven to increase paranoia in those who
smoke it, which increases their chances of developing schizophrenia. It has been shown that
if you have a family history of schizophrenia – or any other psychotic illness – and you are
regularly smoking cannabis, it increases your chance even more on developing schizophrenia
or any other psychotic illness (www.rcpsych.ac.uk).
One similarity between the biological perspective and the social learning theory is that they
both use empiric evidence to support their claims.
This essay will be the evaluation of the Behaviourist and Social Learning Theory. It will
highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of each perspective, and how well they work when
used in a health and social care provision.
The Behaviourist approach is an approach in psychology that states that people learn as a
result of their environment; they either learn through classical conditioning (i.e. learning
through the process of association) or through operant conditioning (i.e. learning from the
consequences of previous behaviours). Pavlov conducted an experiment, when he had the
idea that there are certain things that are hard-wired into dogs, which they do not need to
learn; salivating when they see food is one of them. Previously in the 1890’s, he noticed that
his dogs would salivate whenever he entered the room even when he was not bringing food
for them. However, when Pavlov discovered that any object or any event which the dogs
approaches to health and social care
service provision.
A health and social care provision is similar to a health and social care setting; health and
social care provision is a setting within health and social care that provides a service. Some
examples of health and social care provisions are hospitals, GP’s, clinics, psychiatrists and
counsellors. This essay will be the comparison of the biological perspective and the social
learning theory.
The biological perspective proposes scientific explanation – what you inherit from your
biological parents, for example – whereas the social learning theory emphasizes the
importance of your environment growing up, and suggest that we do things through the
process of observational learning from our role models around us. All thoughts, feelings and
behaviours ultimately have a biological cause in the biological perspective whereas the social
learning theory believes that a person’s genetics do somewhat play a part, but it is ultimately
what the person has learned in life that will shape their thoughts, feelings and behaviour
patterns. For example, the biological perspective could state that males will be aggressive due
to their higher levels of testosterone, in comparison to females. However, the social learning
theory could argue that although higher levels of testosterone can contribute to a more
aggressive personality, it is more what we were taught growing up. For example, whether or
not you have high levels of testosterone or not doesn’t change the fact that those children who
witness domestic violence at a young age, are more likely to inflict it on their partner as adults
(www.clarkprosecutor.org). Another example in favour of the biological approach is that some
things are in fact based on genetics. For example, the chances of getting schizophrenia is
10% if one parent has the condition – in comparison to just a 1% chance if you do not have a
parent with schizophrenia (www.schizophrenia.com). However, again, other factors contribute to
this. For example, smoking cannabis has been proven to increase paranoia in those who
smoke it, which increases their chances of developing schizophrenia. It has been shown that
if you have a family history of schizophrenia – or any other psychotic illness – and you are
regularly smoking cannabis, it increases your chance even more on developing schizophrenia
or any other psychotic illness (www.rcpsych.ac.uk).
One similarity between the biological perspective and the social learning theory is that they
both use empiric evidence to support their claims.
This essay will be the evaluation of the Behaviourist and Social Learning Theory. It will
highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of each perspective, and how well they work when
used in a health and social care provision.
The Behaviourist approach is an approach in psychology that states that people learn as a
result of their environment; they either learn through classical conditioning (i.e. learning
through the process of association) or through operant conditioning (i.e. learning from the
consequences of previous behaviours). Pavlov conducted an experiment, when he had the
idea that there are certain things that are hard-wired into dogs, which they do not need to
learn; salivating when they see food is one of them. Previously in the 1890’s, he noticed that
his dogs would salivate whenever he entered the room even when he was not bringing food
for them. However, when Pavlov discovered that any object or any event which the dogs
