Assessment Instructions

For this assessment, select a theory from the biological or psychological point of view and use it to describe the cause of an abnormal behavior of your choice. Your assessment should be 3-4 typed, double-spaced pages.

Locate a minimum of two professional sources, such as a textbook or professional Web site, and at least one peer-reviewed journal article on your selected theory.

Potential biological points of view could include:
Neurotransmitter or hormone imbalance.
Genetic vulnerabilities.
Potential psychological points of view could include:
Psychoanalytic theory.
Ego psychology.
Objects-relations theory.
Classical conditioning.
Instrumental conditioning.
Humanistic perspective.
Existential perspective.
Cognitive-behavioral perspective.

In your assessment, cover the following:

Describe your selected theory in detail and how the theory views behavior in general.

Explain how the theory describes the cause of your selected abnormal behavior.

Compare and contrast the point of view you chose with the sociocultural viewpoint.

o How might they view the abnormal behavior similarly?

o How might they view the abnormal behavior differently?

o What are the benefits or drawbacks to applying multiple theories to defining abnormal behavior?

Include and cite references.

If you wish, you may use the APA Paper Template, linked in the Resources, to complete this assessment.