Psychogical Explanations Of Schizophrenia Inc Behavioural, Socio-cultral, Psychdoynamic And Cognitive

Question 1

Behavioural AO1

Answer 1

Argue learning plays a key role in the development of schiz - early experiences of punishment lead to child retreating into a more rewarding inner world A labelled “odd”

Scheff - labelling theory /

Individuals labelled as odd etc may continue to act out in ways that confirms to this label - bizarre beh is rewarded with attention becoming more exaggerated until it is deemed “schizophrenic”

Faulty learning - if a child recieves little or no social reinforcement early in life, the child will attend to inappropriate and irrelevant environmental cues instead of normal social stimuli

Schiz in families - function of social learning - bizarre parental beh is copied by children

Question 2

Behavioural AO2

Answer 2

Valid as leads to treatment - social skills training effective in teaching new skills and reintegrating schiz back into society - suggests these skills were never learnt in the first place

Ignores strong biological and genetic evidence and trivialises disorder

Deterministic - negative env will lead to schiz - person may lack motivation

Question 3

Socio cultural AO1

Answer 3

Socio economic status - schiz occurs in lower socio economy status - either low SE = a risk factor or people with schiz can no longer adequately hold down a job - “social drift hypothesis”

Migrant population - occurs more frequently in migrant pop - increased risk of African Caribean diagnosis of schiz - may reflect racial bias in diagnosis or factors associated with migrant pop eg racism cause disproportionate diagnosis

Question 4

Socio cultural AO2

Answer 4

Social drift - Fox - no evidence for social drift - poorer conditions and their stresses eg poor nutrition may trigger onset

Diathesis stress model - may be a biological predisposition but only when encountering environ stess eg low SE does it manifest as schiz

Question 5

Cognitive AO1

Answer 5

Attention impairment - normally able to use selective attention mechanisms to filter incoming stimuli and process info but schiz = overwhelmed with info

Support for this as schiz perform poorly in info processing tasks eg reaction times, visual tracking etc

Frith’s model - conscious processing - full subjective awareness
Pre conscious - automatic and unaware
-If filter between two breaks down, unimportant info passes into conscious which is misinterpreted and seen as sig
-Auditory hallucinations are erroneous early interpretations of non speech that seep into conscious
-Irregularity of neuron pathways connecting hippocampus to prefrontal love

Helmsley’s model - disconnection between stored knowledge and current sensory input

• schemas for various events so we know what to expect and what to pay attention to
• schiz can’t differentiate between schemas and new situations or what to attend to
• internal events interpreted as external - can result in hallucinations

Question 6

Cognitive AO2

Answer 6

Ignores influence of environment - blames individual

Cause and effect? Cognitive dysfunction cause of or result of schiz?

Question 7

Psychodynamic AO1

Answer 7

Id(basic needs) and superego (right/wrong) always in conflict - ego mediates
Effect of a cold uncaring environment - weak ego shatters due to high demand or doesn’t form properly
Primary narcissism - focused entirely on self - negative symptoms
Hallucinations result of sufferer trying to get back into contact with reality

Fromm-Reichman - “schizophrenogenic mothers” - cold and distant whilst also demanding attention

• conveys conflict message to child as atmosphere of needing attention contrasts punishment given if the child shows it
• “schizophrenogenic families” have high emotional tension, secrets, close alliances, conflict etc

Bateson - “double bind” - child has repeated exp with one or more family members where they receive contradictory advice “you look tired, go to bed” indicates desire for them to leave but also caring for their well being
- child resorts to self deception developing a false concept of reality

Brown - “expressed emotion” - 9 month follow up study of schiz released from hospital returned to family homes

• more likely to relapse if they came from homes with high EE - measured in interviews, frequency of critical comments and statements of dislike, and over involvement
• relapse rate 58% in high EE, 10% in low

Question 8

Psychodynamic AO2

Answer 8

Vaughn and Lee - high EE in families linked to higher rates of relapse 58% high EE, 13% low

Misogynistic - mothers of vast majority of schiz are more commonly shy, withdrawn and suffering from anxiety

Does not lead to effective treatment

Many schiz relapse without returning to families - contributory factor not cause