Interactionist explanation for schizophrenia

Question 1

What model does the interactionist approach use to explain schizophrenia?

Answer 1

Diathesis-stress model.

Question 2

What does the diathesis-stress model state?

Answer 2

That both vulnerability to schizophrenia and a stress-trigger are necessary in order to develop the condition.

Question 3

Who created the original diathesis-stress model?

Answer 3

Meehl

Question 4

What did Meehl’s model suggest?

Answer 4

• Diathesis was entirely genetic and schizophrenia occurred as the result of a ‘schizogene’.
• This led to the development of a biological based schizoptypic personality. - one characteristic of which is sensitivity to stress.
• According to Meehl, if a person doesn’t have the schizogene then no amount of stress would lead to schizophrenia.

Question 5

What does diathesis mean?

Answer 5

Vulnerability.

Question 6

How does modern understanding of diathesis question the original diathesis-stress model?

Answer 6

• Now clear that many genes appear to increase genetic vulnerability slightly: but there is NO single ‘schizogene’.
• Ripke et al. ^
• Modern views of diathesis also include a range of factors beyond genetic, e.g. psychological trauma becomes the diathesis rather than stressor.
• Read et al. - child abuse ^

Question 7

How does modern understanding of stress question the original diathesis-stress model?

Answer 7

• A stressor now includes anything that risks triggering schizophrenia.
• Houston et al. ^
• E.G. cannabis - increases the risk of schizophrenia by up to 7 times due to its interference with the dopamine system.
• However, most people do not develop schizophrenia after smoking cannabis so there must be other vulnerability factors.

Question 8

State a positive of the interactionist approach as an explanation for schizophrenia.

Answer 8

Evidence for the role of vulnerability and triggers:

• Tienari et al. - 19,000 children adopted from schizophrenic mothers with their adoptive parents being assessed for child-rearing style.
• The rates of schizophrenia were compared to those in a control group who had no genetic risk of schizophrenia.
• A child-rearing style characterised by high levels of criticism and conflict and low levels of empathy was implicated in the development of schizophrenia but only in children with a high genetic risk.
• Suggests that genetically vulnerable children are more sensitive to parenting behaviour.

Question 9

State a negative of the interactionist approach as an explanation for schizophrenia.

Answer 9

Original diathesis-stress model is oversimplified:

• ‘Schizogene’ and role of schizophrenic parenting style as major source of stress is very over simple.
• Ripke et al. - no single gene, multiple genes increase vulnerability
• Stress comes in many forms - not a single source
• Houston et al. - cannabis
• Read et al. - child abuse