Psychological Explanations -Family Dysfunction Flashcards
Family dysfunction AO1
The family is dysfunctional in the way that they communicate with each other as they have high levels of tension and arguments. This results in creating risk factors for the development and relapse of schizophrenic symptoms
1a) schizophrenic mother
- the idea that SZ is caused by the patients early experience of a schizophrenic mother.
(E) A schizophrenogenic mother is cold, controlling, rejecting, emotionally unresponsive and builds a family climate characterized by tension and secrecy.
(F) this leads to distrust that later develops into paranoid delusions in SZ. The father in such families is often passive
1b) Double bind communication
(E) BATESON ET AL 1956 argues that SZ is due to the faulty communication patterns that exist within families. This communication type is double bind communication; this occurs when the parent communicates a verbal message which is not matched with their non- verbal messages so the child receives mixed messages.
For example a father may be verbally loving but emotionally rejecting for example becoming rigid when the child tries to show affection
(F) these conflicting confusing forms of communication can contribute or cause SZ
The child feels they cannot do the right thing and becomes increasingly anxious leading to them withdrawing and avoiding social contact - sign of abolition and the mixed messages result in disorganized thinking and paranoid delusions
1c) Expressed Emotions
- This is the level of emotion in particular negative emotions, expressed towards a patient by their family members
(E) high levels of expressed emotions such as:
- verbal criticism and occasional violence towards the patient
- Hostility towards the patient including anger and rejection
- Emotional over involvement in their life
(F) The development of SZ this can cause stress in the patient and the constant harassment from the family can trigger onset SZ
- The maintenance of SZ : the stress caused a primary explanation for relapse in patients with SZ. This is because when a patient with SZ is placed back into the stressful environment there is a resurgence of positive and negative symptoms.
AO3
P - Research to support the schizophrenic mother theory comes from Mednisck et al 1984.
E - they researched 207 children who were raised in dysfunctional families where the mothers were cold, rejecting and emotionally unresponsive to their children’s needs.
E - it was found that 10 years later 17 children of this high risk group were diagnosed with SZ this is 8% compared to 1% of the general population. This supports the schizophrenogenic mother explanation as it shows that the characteristics of a schizophrenogenic mother increase the likelihood of a person developing SZ.
L - therefore increasing the validity of family dysfunction psychological explanation of SZ
AO3
R - Research to support double bind communication was conducted by Berger 1965.
E - it was found that when asked about the interactions with their parents in childhood that schizophrenics could remember more instances of double bind communication from their mother than non-schizophrenics.
E - this provides clear support for mixed communication in schizophrenics childhood leading to a higher chance of developing SZ in adulthood.
L - therefore increasing the validity of family dysfunction as an explanation of SZ
AO3
P - a strength of family dysfunction as an explanation of SZ is that it has practical applications.
E - this is because the principles of the explanations that SZ is caused by faulty family communication has led to the treatment of family therapy.
E - this is effective in treating SZ by a therapist meeting with the patient and their family in order to try and alter relationship and communication patterns. This reduces stress levels and expressed emotion and can help prevent relapse of SZ.
L - therefore this is an important part of applied psychology that increases the credibility of the family dysfunction explanation of SZ
