PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS: FAMILY DYSFUNCTION

Question 1

Define family dysfunction

Answer 1

Idea that dysfunctional maladaptive family relationship and patterns of communication are related to development of schizo

Question 2

Explain family dysfunction

Answer 2

Sees maladaptive relationship and patterns of communications within families as sources of stress which can cause or influence the development of schizo

Question 3

• What are risk factors in family dysfunction (3)

Answer 3

• poor family communication
  
  • Cold parenting
  • High level of expressed emotion

Question 4

What are 3 types of dysfunctional characteristics identified in the parents of schizos

Answer 4

1. High level of interpersonal conflict
   
   2. Difficulty communicate with each other
   3. Being excessively critical and controlling of their children

Question 5

Who suggested the double bind theory

Answer 5

Bateson et al

Question 6

what did they suggest about the double bind theory (2)

Answer 6

• emphasis family climax Is important in the development of schizo + emphasises the role of communication style within the family
  
  • Explain contradictory situations children could be placed in by parents where a verbal message is given but opposite behaviour is exhibited⇒ trapped In situation with doing wrong thing + unable to comment on unfairness of situation or seek clarification

Question 7

• How does double bind theory lead to schizo (2)

Answer 7

• leads to a negative reaction of social withdrawal and flat affect (lack of emotional expression) in order to escape double bind situations
  
  • Child is punished by withdrawal of love And leaves them with understanding of world is confusing and dangerous reflecting in symptoms like diagnose thinking and paranoid delusion

Question 8

What is the theory of expressed emotion (2)

Answer 8

• The families who persistently exhibit criticism and hostility exert a negative influence
  
  • specially upon receive recovering schizophrenics who when returning to their families react to expressed emotion by relapsing to an active phase of the disorder and experiencing severe positive symptoms of hallucination and delusion of perception

Question 9

• What are the 3 main elements of expressed emotion

Answer 9

• Verbal criticism occasionally a accompanied by violence
  
  • hostility towards patient including anger and rejection
  • emotional over involvement in life of patient including needless self sacrifice

Question 10

What approach does EE favour and why

Answer 10

interactionist= diathesis stress model

Maybe source of stress that can trigger schizophrenia in person who is already vulnerable e.g. due to genetic make up

Question 11

• Who proposed schizophrenogenic mother theory

Answer 11

Fromm-reichmann

Question 12

What approach did schizophrenogenic mother take account of and why

Answer 12

-

Psychodynamic approach

Account she heard from her patients about their childhood

Question 13

What does the schizophrenogenic mother theory suggest (2)

Answer 13

Many of her patients spoke of a particular parent=schizogenic mother⇒ schizo causing

They’re cold, rejecting & controlling→ develop into paranoid delusion (eg belief one being persecuted by another person)→ ultimately schizo

Question 14

What did Tienari et al find when comparing schizophrenia adopted individuals (2)

Answer 14

Adopted individuals that were children of schizo mothers

- Adopted by healthy family: 5.8%
- Adopted by dysfunctional family: 36.8%

Support family dysfunction theory & diathesis stress model

Question 15

Evaluate how there is Weak evidence for family based explanations (4) (-ve)

Answer 15

• almost no evidence to support importance of schizophrenogenic mother or double-blind⇒ both theories based on clinical observation of patients and early evidence involved assessing personality of mothers of patients from ‘crazy making characteristics’→ No standardised comparison
  
  • collected evidence retrospectively therefore comfirmation bias⇒Confirmation Bias is the tendency to look for information that supports, rather than rejects, one’s preconceptions, typically by interpreting evidence to confirm existing beliefs while rejecting or ignoring any conflicting data→ when collecting evidence not activly looking/unconsciously ignoring positive communication⇒ effects double bind theory the most
  • Individual differences – EE is associated with relapse but not all patients who live in high EE families relapse and not all patients in low EE families avoid relapse – Family dysfunction is an incomplete explanation for schizophrenia.
  • historically parents blaming⇒ parents who have already suffered at seeing child descent to schizophrenia→ who are likely to bear lifelong responsibility for there care underwent further trauma by receiving the blame for the condition= literally adding insult to injury⇒ Gender bias is also an issue as the mother tends to be blamed the most, which means such research is highly socially sensitive. This suggests that the research therefore does not protect individuals from harm

Question 16

evaluate direction of causality (2 + Waxler et als study with communication of mothers) (-ve)

Answer 16

• problem of cause and effect. Mischler & Waxler (1968) found significant differences in the way mothers spoke to their schizophrenic daughters compared to their normal daughters, which suggests that dysfunctional communication may be a result of living with the schizophrenic rather than the cause of the disorder. This suggests that there is a problem of the chicken and egg scenario in relation to expressed emotion causing schizophrenia.
  
  • Having schizo within family can be problematic & stressful on family relationship→ rather than dysfunction wihtin family causing schizo⇒ schizo may cause the family dysfunction
  • Fails to explain why (in these types of families) all children in families often don’t develop schizo