Outline the behavioural model of abnormality and consider its strengths and limitations

The behavioural model in itself offers an explanation as to the experiences people have affecting people, including the forms of conditioning to which they are exposed to playing a role in the development of abnormality and mental illness. There is evidence such as the Little Albert study, which does suggest that abnormal behaviour can be learnt. However, it must be taken into account that many of the experimental studies/research into conditioning is based on animals and generalised to humans therefore is more applicable to animals and may not be relevant in explaining human behaviour. on the other hand, in terms of ethics the behavioural model is humane and has the advantage of assuming that if mental illnesses are learnt they should not be regarded as illnesses and the individual should not be held responsible because the abnormal behaviour is determined by environmental factors. However, human behaviour is also much more complicated than the behavioural model suggests. It ignores the biological factors such as the genetics (that the biological model of abnormality accounts for) and it also ignores the thoughts and feelings of the individual. the way that we think about things affects our experiences which suggests that the cognitive model may also have a role in explaining abnormality. Also, the behavioural model is environmentally deterministic, suggesting that we are all controlled by external rather than internal factors. The behavioural model, unlike the cognitive model, does not blame the individual for the abnormality, which is a positive criticism, however it also assumes that the individual has a passive role in the abnormality. It also ignores differences in terms of gender, which could make experimental studies such as that of Little Albert biased, it does not suggest whether a female would react to the stimulus in the same way that a male did but it generalises it to believe that a female would act in the same way. It is a reductionists’ way of looking at abnormality: it reduces behaviour into stimulus and the response to the stimulus.

Alone, the behavioural model cannot account for all abnormality. It may provide an insight as to why certain disorders occur but it does into account for things such as the way in which the individual deals with the stimulus, for example, not all people who are bitten by dogs develop phobias of dogs, which suggests that there is more to the development of phobias than conditioning alone. However, the model does provide a humane way of explanation not to blame the patient for the illness in the way that the cognitive model of abnormality does. It could be argues that the Little Albert study was unethical due to the high amount of stress it caused to Little Albert. The main criticism of the behavioural model in terms of treatment is that it treats symptoms not causes which could, according to Freud, lead to symptom substitution.