LS3 - Family Dysfunction Explanation For SZ

Question 1

Family Dysfunction

Answer 1

Psychologists attempt to link SZ to childhood and adult experiences of living in a dysfunctional family

Question 2

Explaining Family Dysfunctioning

Answer 2

The Schizphrenogenic Mother
Double-Bind Theory
Expressed Emotion

Question 3

The Schizphrenogenic Mother

Answer 3

A psychodynamic explanation for SZ, many patients spoke about a schizophrenic mother: cold, rejecting, controlling and causing tension. Meaning a lack of trust for the child and later paranoid delusions.

Question 4

Double Bind Theory

Answer 4

Children who often receive contradictory messages from their parents, they feel trapped as they receive mixed messages, meaning they can’t ask for clarification, and when they get it wrong, they’re punished with withdrawal of love. Making them confused about the world and possibly leading to SZ symptoms e.g. paranoid delusions

Question 5

Expressed Emotion

Answer 5

Expressed emotion is the level of emotion, in particular negative emotion, expressed towards a patient by their carers.

Question 6

Expressed Emotions In SZ

Answer 6

High levels of EE by the carer can cause high stress for the patient, giving a reason for the SZ patient to relapse, and trigger their genetic vulnerability to SZ.

Question 7

Family Dysfunction Strengths

Answer 7

Research Support
Double-Bind Theory Support

Question 8

Family Dysfunction Weaknesses

Answer 8

Evidence Isn’t Strong
Not All Patients With High EE Families Relapse
Parent Blaming

Question 9

Research Support (+)

Answer 9

Tienari Et Al, adopted children with biological SZ parents were more likely to have SZ themselves than those children without SZ parents. However, this difference only occurred when the adopted family was rated as dysfunctional, suggesting family dysfunction is the environmental trigger.

Question 10

Doubling-Bind Theory Research Support (+)

Answer 10

SZ patients report a higher recall of double-bind statements by their mothers than people without schizophrenia, however, this could just be due to delusions and hallucinations so idk how valid this.

Question 11

Evidence Isn’t Strong (-)

Answer 11

Double-bind theory evidence is shit, Liem measured patterns of parental communication in families with a SZ child and found they were normal.

Question 12

Not All Patients With High EE Families Relapse (-)

Answer 12

Also, not all people in low EE homes avoid relapse, a quarter of people showed no psychological responses to high EE environments.