Individual Difference Explanations Of Schizophrenia

Question 1

Psychodynamic explanation (2nd option)

Answer 1

Schizophrenegenic mothers:
Caused by overdominant mothers in the home/ with child
Characteristics include:
-distanced, cold, rejecting, controlling - this leaves child feeling emotionally unstable resulting in paranoid delusions due to confusions about reality

Question 2

Brief evaluation of psychodynamic explanation

Answer 2

Outdated values + socially sensitive

Question 3

Individual difference - cognitive approach (10 marks)

Answer 3

Does not offer 1 explanation that can account for all behaviours of sz it offers a few theories helping to explain positive/negative symptoms

-maladaptive thinking (auditory hallucinations):
Morrison proposed that triggers such as sleep deprivation can cause individuals to hear voices in maladaptive ways which can be recognised inappropriately e.g as the devil - this elicits behaviour such as social withdrawal = sadness = reinforces voices causing a vicious cycle

-lack of pre conscious filters (positive symptoms):
SZ is the result of the break down of thought filtering processes - this can explain SZ due to an inability to focus properly causes disordered thoughts which can account for delusions, hallucinations and disordered speech
Research suggest sz have an attentional bias towards threatening stimuli which may explain delusions of persecution

-becks cognitive triad (negative symptoms)
Cycle (negative views of self (1)- negative views of the world - negative views of the future(2))
1-dysfunctional beliefs around their performance and feeling no pleasure = anhedonia
2-people with sz hold cynical and gloomy outlooks = avolition

Question 4

Evaluation of cognitive approach - research support

Answer 4

S- strength as there is strong supporting evidence
E-schizophrenics took over twice as long on a stroop test
E-difficulties on the stroop test can be used as evidence of people with sz having defective attentional filters (finding it difficult to switch between colour and word)
W-strength as it is strong scientific basis - highly controlled and shows huge attentional differences of those with sz to controls providing value to the theory

Question 5

Evaluation of cognitive approach - not complete explanation

Answer 5

S-limitation as an explanation for sz as it doesn’t explain what causes cognitive malfunctions
E-this theory explains the proximal causes not the distal cause
E-as a result these theories cannot be seen as explaining the causes of the disorder therefore it’s possible that the dysfunctional thought process could be biological e.g dopamine
W-therefore dysfunctional thought processing may be better understood as a symptom of the disorder rather than a singular explanation

Question 6

Evaluation of cognitive approach - practical applications

Answer 6

S-strength as its resulted in real life applications to help treat people
E-CBTp (for psychosis) is effective for some schizophrenics and its aim is to alter irrational thought processing in turn helping them understand the nature of their symptoms
C-however cbtp is most effective when combined with biological treatments e.g antipsychotics
W-this suggests that cognitive explanations cannot be a complete explanation for sz and needs to consider biological factors