Psychological explanations Flashcards
What is family dysfunction?
Patterns of relationships and communication in families of people with schizophrenia
What are the 3 types of family dysfunction?
- Schizophrenogenic mother
- Double bind
- Expressed emotion
What is a schizophrenogenic mother?
Mother is:
- critical
- hostile
- overprotective/controlling
- rigid
- moralistic about sex
Father is passive
How does the schizophrenogenic mother explanation explain schizophrenia?
Due to faulty communication and contradictory behaviour which causes confusion and distrust in the child which leads of paranoid delusions of schizophrenia
What is the double bind explanation?
- Child finds themselves in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing
- Receive mixed messages
- Feel unable to seek clarification
- Punished by withdrawal of love
- World seems dangerous and confusing
E.g. Child falls over and goes to mother. Mother rejects child and tells them to grow up. Child falls over again and goes to friend’s mother. Child’s mother sees and says ‘Why didn’t you come to me? Don’t you love me?
What is expressed emotion?
Level of negative emotion expressed towards or about schizophrenic patient by carers
E.g. verbal criticism, hostility and rejection
Causes stress for patient
High levels of EE are associated with relapse
How does expressed emotion explain relapse in schizophrenia?
Higher levels of relapse in households with higher EE.
What are the strengths of family dysfunction as an explanation for schizophrenia?
Support for EE
-26 studies for EE were reviewed patients with high EE families had a 48% relapse rate whereas those in low EE families had a 21% relapse rate
General support from attachment research
-Insecure attachments more likely to have schizophrenia due to parents not being sensitive to child’s needs
(This can go for any other mental disorders and data was collected using adult attachment interveiws)
What are the limitations of family dysfunction as an explanation for schizophrenia?
Schizophrenogenic mother and double bind
-Evidence weak and based on outdated ideas of blaming parents e.g. 1950s for autistic childrens’ mothers were blamed for the child’s condition due to the refrigerator mothering (cold and unloving)
