Preparing AO3 for every Approaches essay

It would not be wise (read: waste of time) to exhaustively remember every approaches essay possible. There are over 30 possible ones! 

Instead, look for themes. Work smarter not harder! This page deals with comparing approaches mainly, but if you're able to do this you should have absolutely no problem writing a standalone essay for a particular approach.

1. Research to support: 

When you compare approaches you could say that a similarity between the two approaches you're comparing is that there's research to support it. Even better if both of them relate to the same thing- ie research for cognitive approach to depression and research for biological approach to depression. Or something. Your PEE would go a little something like this...

A simliarity between X and Y is that there is research evidence to support both approaches. 

___ found ___, supporting X as an explanation for _____.

Similarly, ___ found ___, supporting Y as an explanation for _____. 

This therefore is a strength of X and Y approaches.  

2. Positive real world implications:

Every approach in the spec has positive real world implications. These are as follows-you'll know most of them!

BIO: drugs-SSRIs come to mind-  improving symptoms in sufferers of depression, OCD, allowing them to live more normal lives 

COG: CBT comes to mind- this again improves symptoms in sufferers, allowing them to live more normal lives

BHV: SD comes to mind- this improves symptoms in people suffering with phobias, allowing them to live more normal lives

HUM: UPR is used in therapy- this improves self esteem in individuals and helps them get closer to self actualisation

PSY: led to development of psychoanalysis- a method of analysing and treating mental and emotional disorders

SLT: could help parents become more conscious of the influence they exercise over their children, becoming better role models

Your PEE would look a little something like...

A similarity between X and Y is that they have positive real world implications beyond the experimental setting.

X has led to _____, which is advantageous because ___ 

On the other hand, Y has led to ____, which is advantageous because ____

This therefore is a strength of both X and Y approaches. 

3. Issues and debates

There are just so many ways you could go with this. Common themes to consider include the ones listed below. Remember if you've got the previous two, you only really need one out of the following!

• reductionism- holism (if both approaches are reductionist, you could actually spin this into a difference- what type of reductionism?)

• determinism-free will (if both approaches are determinist, you could again actually spin this into a difference- what type of determinist? hard or soft?)

• pessimistic or optimistic?

• socially sensitive/ethical implications?

• nomotheticism-idiographicism

• Other issues and debates arguments. 

AW