Psychological explanations

Question 1

What is the psychological explanations?

Answer 1

family dysfunction

Question 2

what is the key assumption of family dysfunction?

Answer 2

unhealthy dynamics

Question 3

What is double bind theory?

Answer 3

BATESON
the patient is the ‘symptom’ of the family’s wider problems
mixed messages
contradictory signals from family members
symptoms are an attempt to escape this double bind

Question 4

What two definitions come under family dysfunction?

Answer 4

1. expressed emotion
2. double bind

Question 5

What is a strength of the double bind theory?

Answer 5

• READ 42 studies
69% female
59% male
majority had history of physical or sexual abuse in early childhood

Question 6

What is a weakness of the double bind theory?

Answer 6

• LIEM compared communication patterns in families with and without a schizophrenic member
abnormality in parental communication was a response of the symptoms not vice versa

• validity issues -
tends to be based on clinical oberservation
are patients being truthful
leads to blame of already suffering parents

Question 7

what is expressed emotion?

Answer 7

characterised by emotional over involvement, criticism, hostility from the family around them

BROWN communication in families with high EE relatives and usually characterised by more intense and negative exchanges
70% complain about negative symptoms

KUIPERS found relapse more likely where family is high in EE

LINDSON found 4x more likely to relapse with high EE family

Question 8

What is a strength of expressed emotion?

Answer 8

• RWA - family therapy
holistic way of treating
bringing family together

Question 9

What is the weaknesses of expressed emotion?

Answer 9

• individual differences - deterministic
every family is different

• nature vs nurture -
biological psychologists