BTEC Level 3 Unit 11 Psychological Perspectives Assignment Brief 2026

BTEC Unit 11 BTEC Assignment Brief

Vocational Scenario or Context

The evidence for this Assignment Brief, must be based on two of the case studies attached. This work could include information gained from the following Units:

• Unit 5: Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs
• Unit 7: Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care
• Unit 8: Promoting Public Health
• Unit 10: Sociological Perspectives
• Unit 12: Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs
• Unit 26: Health Psychology

Task 1

Produce a set of case notes which:

• Evaluate the role of psychological perspectives in helping professionals to understand the development of two, selected individuals. You must also evaluate how the perspectives support professionals in managing and treating the behaviours of the two, users of the services
• Analyse and explain the contribution of the psychological perspectives, to understanding how each individual has developed and also to manage and treat their behaviours
• Explain how the psychological perspectives are can be applied to your selected individuals and how the perspectives can contribute to our understanding of their behaviour
• Analyse the value of identifying the factors which have influenced the two individuals’ behaviour, when applying the psychological perspectives to their management and treatment.

Explain how the factors you have identified influence the development and behaviour of your selected individuals.

Learning Aim A: Psychological Perspectives – Task 1

Moving forward-a therapeutic approach

1- Human Development & Behaviour (The “Why”)

Criteria: A.P1, A.P2 & A.M1

You must explain how different “schools of thought” (perspectives) explain why people grow and act the way they do.

• Biological Perspective: Focuses on nature. Did the individual inherit certain traits? Is their behaviour caused by brain chemistry or hormones?
• Behaviourist Perspective: Focuses on nurture. Was the behaviour learned through rewards, punishments, or by association?
• Cognitive Perspective: Focuses on the mind as a processor. How does the individual’s way of thinking or their “mental stages” (like Piaget’s stages) affect their development?
• Psychodynamic Perspective: Focuses on the unconscious. Are their current problems linked to things that happened in their very early childhood?
• Humanistic Perspective: Focuses on the “whole person.” Is the individual able to reach their full potential, or are basic needs (like safety or love) missing?

2- Factors Influencing Behaviour (The “Influences”)

Criteria: B.P3 & B.M2

You need to identify what outside forces are changing the individual’s life.

• Social Factors: How do family, friends, or the media change how they act?
• Physical Factors: Does the person have a disability, illness, or genetic condition that affects them?
• Environmental Factors: Do they live in a safe area? Do they have enough money (socioeconomics)?
• Case Study Link: Why is it valuable for a professional to know these factors? (e.g., If a nurse knows a patient has no family support, they know they must use a different psychological approach to help them).

3- Management and Treatment (The “Fix”) B.P4

Explain how professionals use these theories to actually help the person in the case study.

• Behavioural Management: Using “Positive Reinforcement” (rewards) to encourage good behaviour or “Systematic Desensitisation” to help with phobias.
• Cognitive Treatment: Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help a service user change negative “thought loops” into positive ones.
• Biological Treatment: Using medication to balance brain chemicals (like antidepressants) to manage a behaviour.
• Humanistic Management: Using “Person-Centred Therapy” where the professional shows empathy and unconditional positive regard to help the user grow.

4- Evaluation & Analysis (The “Big Picture”)

Criteria: AB.D1 & A.M1

This is where you get the highest marks. You must argue which perspective is best and why.

• Analyse (M1): Don’t just describe the theories; compare them. Why does the biological view explain [Individual A] better than the Behaviourist view?
• Evaluate (D1): What are the pros and cons?

Strength: The Behaviourist approach is great because you can see and measure the progress.

Weakness: It might be “robotic” because it ignores the person’s internal feelings.

• Conclusion: Why do professionals need to use multiple perspectives (an interactionist approach) to give the best care?

What each question is asking!

A.P1 & A.P2: The Basics

• Can you pick a theory and explain why a person in your case study is acting that way?
• Example: Does the person act aggressively because they saw their parents act that way (Social Learning Theory)?

B.P4: The Treatment

• If you were the doctor or social worker, what specific “therapy” or “rule” would you use based on these theories?

B.M2: The Value of Information

• Why does it help a doctor to know about a patient’s background before they start a psychological treatment?

AB.D1: The Final Judgment

Which perspective is the most helpful for professionals, and which one is too limited to work on its own?

Criteria covered by this task:

Sources of information to support you with this Assignment

Books

Kinsella C., Introducing Mental Health; A Practical Guide, (2nd Edition), (2015), Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ISBN: 9781849055963

Pilgrim D., Understanding Mental Health, (2014), Taylor & Francis Limited, ISBN: 9780415824132

Websites

•  www.nursingtimes.net/news/mental-health/anxiety-23-02-2009/
• www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive.html/
•  www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html

Other assessment materials attached to this Assignment Brief – Case studies

Unit 11: Psychological Perspectives

Case study 1: Ahmed H.

Ahmed is 18 years old and has an eating disorder. Ahmed is currently in a specialist treatment centre. He was referred to the unit following concerns about his severe weight loss.

It had been discovered, that Ahmed would pretend to eat and then throw the food away when he thought that no one was looking.

Ahmed had previously had problems with his weight and had been bullied throughout school, due to his obesity.  He is currently refusing to eat more than a small amount of food during the day.

Case study 2: Sarah K.

Sarah is 42 years old and regularly attends a Community Psychiatric Clinic for support with her ongoing clinical depression. Sarah was emotionally and physically abused as a child, which has resulted in a low self-image and low self-esteem.

She constantly apologises, even though she has done nothing wrong and has days when life does not seem worth living. Sarah has twice attempted suicide.

Case study 3: Mark W.

Simon is 56 years old and has a severe phobia of spiders. Simon attends a clinic at the local NHS Trust for help.

The phobia is so severe, that Simon cannot even sing nursery rhymes or read stories to his daughter, if spiders are included.

He has had several panic attacks in public places, if he saw, or thought he saw a spider. Simon cannot walk past the local toy shop at Halloween, when plastic spiders are on display.

Case study 4: Debbie T.

Debbie is 39 years old and has an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She is a voluntary patient on a psychiatric ward at the local NHS Trust.

Debbie is obsessed with the need to be clean and has recently been dipping her hands into neat disinfectant, in order to remove the ‘germs’.

He husband ignored this behaviour, until Debbie began to insist that he did the same. The family G.P. feels that Debbie needs to be away from the family and recover in her own time.

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