According to the organic approach, abnormal behaviour occurs when:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → body and brain is not working properly
Option (1) there is a conflict between emotion and reason — Incorrect. This is the view of the philosopher-physicians of ancient Greece, in particular Plato, who developed the organismic approach and saw disturbed behaviour as arising out of conflicts between emotion and reason. ‘Organismic’ is not the same as ‘organic’.
Option (2) there is an imbalance in the four essential body fluids — Incorrect. This is Galen’s theory of the four humours: blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm, each responsible for a different temperament, whose imbalance was believed to cause disorders. It is an ancient theory of temperament, not the modern organic approach, which looks at how the body and the brain function.
Option (3) body and brain is not working properly — Correct. A recurring theme in the history of abnormal psychology is the belief that individuals behave strangely because their bodies and their brains are not working properly. This is the biological or organic approach; for certain disorders, correcting the defective biological process improves functioning.
Option (4) evil resides in the individual — Incorrect. This is the supernatural approach, which explains abnormal behaviour by evil spirits or the devil and treats it by exorcism, removing the evil that resides in the individual through countermagic and prayer.
NCERT (2025-26): “Historical Background … One ancient theory that is still encountered today holds that abnormal behaviour can be explained by the operation of supernatural and magical forces such as evil spirits (bhoot-pret), or the devil (shaitan). Exorcism, i.e. removing the evil that resides in the individual through countermagic and prayer, is still commonly used.…” “Historical Background … A recurring theme in the history of abnormal psychology is the belief that individuals behave strangely because their bodies and their brains are not working properly. This is the biological or organic approach. In the modern era, there is evidence that body and brain processes have been linked to many types of maladaptive behaviour. For certain types of disorders, correcting these defective biological processes results in improved functioning.…” “Historical Background … In the ancient Western world, it was philosopher-physicians of ancient Greece such as Hippocrates, Socrates, and in particular Plato who developed the organismic approach and viewed disturbed behaviour as arising out of conflicts between emotion and reason.…” “…Galen elaborated on the role of the four humours in personal character and temperament. According to him, the material world was made up of four elements, viz. earth, air, fire, and water which combined to form four essential body fluids, viz. blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Each of these fluids was seen to be responsible for a different temperament. Imbalances among the humours were believed to cause various disorders.…” |