Psychological explanations Flashcards
What structure should you follow when answering a psychological explanations question?
Name, explain, dysfunction, symptom
What is SZ characterised by?
Disruption to normal thought processing
Who identified types of dysfunctional thought processing?
Frith et al
How many types of dysfunctional thought processing are there?
2
Name the two types of dysfunctional thought processes?
Metarepresentation
Central control
What is metarepresentation?
The cognitive ability to reflect on thoughts and behaviour
Understanding actions of ourselves and others
What does dysfunction in metarepresentation disrupt?
Ability to recognise our own actions and thoughts as being carried out by ourselves or others
How does dysfunction in the metarepresentation explain auditory hallucinations?
An individual may not understand that a voice in their head is their own voice, not someone elses
What is central control?
The cognitive ability to suppress automatic responses whilst performing a deliberate action
What can dysfunction in central control explain?
Speech poverty, not able to suppress automatic thoughts and speech triggered by other thoughts/ words spoken
What is disrupted spoken sentences known as?
Derailment
What is derailment
Where speech is disrupted as spoken word tiggers other associations and the person cannot suppress the action
What is the idea of family dysfunction?
An individual develops SZ because they have been raised in a dysfunctional family environment
How do a dysfunction family communicate with each other?
Through arguments creating high levels of tension
What is the risk of a dysfunctional family?
Development and maintenance of SZ
Name the subsections of a dysfunctional family?
Schizophrenogenic mother
Double bind communication
Expressed emotion
What does Frieda Fromm-Reichman suggest sz caused by?
Patients early experience of a schizophrenogentic mother
Characteristics of a schizophrenogentic mother?
Cold, controlling, rejecting, emotionally unresponsive
What kind of family climate does the schizophrenogenic mother create?
Characterised by tension and secrecy
What does having a schizophrenogenic mother lead to?
Distrust that develops into paranoid delusions
What is the fathers nature in families with a schizophrenogenic mother?
Passive
What did Bateson et suggest about double bind communication?
Sz is due to faulty communication patterns within families
When does double bind communication occur?
Parent communicates a verbal message which is not matched with non-verbal message (child receives mixed messages)
What can confusing forms of communication contribute to?
Avoltion and paranoid delusions
Child feels they cannot do the right thing, withdraw themselves
What is expressed emotion?
The level of negative emotion expressed towards a patient through their family members
Examples of high levels of expressed emotion?
Verbal criticism
Hostility (anger and rejection)
Emotional overinvolvement
Violence
How does expressed emotion affect SZ?
Causes stress due to constant harassment, causing potential relapse
Why can be being placed back into the family home cause relapse?
stress causes a resurgence of positive and negative symptoms
