Psychological Explanations: Family dysfunction

Question 1

Schizophrenogenic mothers - rejecting and controlling

Answer 1

Fromm-Reichmann’s (1948) psychodynamic explanation of patients’ early experiences of ‘schizophrenogenic mothers’ (mothers who cause SZ)

These mothers are cold, rejecting and controlling, and create a family climate of tension and secrecy - this leads to distrust and paranoid delusions and SZ

Question 2

Double-bind theory - conflicting family communication

Answer 2

Bateson et al. (1972) described how a child may be regularly trapped in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing, but receive conflicting messages about what counts as wrong. They cannot express their feelings about the unfairness of the situation

When they ‘get it wrong’ (often) the child is punished by withdrawal of love - they learn the world is confusing and dangerous, leading to disorganised thinking and delusions

Question 3

Expressed emotion (EE) - criticism and hostility lead to relapse

Answer 3

EE is the level of emotion (mainly negative) expressed including:

• Verbal criticism of the person with SZ
• Hostility towards them
• Emotional over-involvement in their life

High levels of EE cause stress in the person, may trigger onset of SZ or relapse