Psychological Explanation for Sz - Family Dysfunction

Question 1

Outline the psychological explanation for Sz (6 marks)

Answer 1

Family dysfunction is where an individual gets Sz due to being raised in a dysfunctional family environment. The type of communication shows high levels of interpersonal family conflict. It is suggested that Sz could be caused due to a schizophrenogenic mother. The mother is cold, controlling, rejecting, emotionally unresponsive and builds a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy which leads to distrust and develops into symptoms such as paranoid delusions. The father is passive. Sz could also be due to double blind communication where there are faulty communication patterns in families. A parent communicates a verbal message which is not matched with the non-verbal message. The father maybe be verbally loving but emotionally anxious and rejecting. The conflicting forms of communication can contribute to Sz. The child becomes anxious, withdrawn from social contact and shows signs of avolition and paranoid delusions.

Question 2

Outline expressed emotion(3 marks)

Answer 2

Expressed emotion is the level of emotion, mainly negative expressed towards the patient by the family. This includes: verbal criticism and violence, hostility such as anger and rejection and emotional over-involvement. High levels of expressed emotion can result in stress, which is the primary reason for relapse in patients with Sz.