psychological explanations for schizophrenia

Question 1

Structure of psychological explanation questions

Answer 1

. Name
. Explain
. Feeling
. Symptom

Question 2

Psychological explanations of Schizophrenia

Answer 2

. family dysfunction
. cognitive explanation

Question 3

What are the sub-topics of family dysfunction?

Answer 3

. schizophrenogenic mother
. double bind communication
. expressed emotion

Question 4

Family dysfunction

Answer 4

. people develops Sz because raised in dysfunctional family enviro
. family dysfunctional in the way communicate with each other
. high levels of tension and arguments
. creates risk factors for development/maintenance of Sz

Question 5

Schizophrenogenic mother (NAME)

Answer 5

EXPLAIN:
. Sz caused early experience schizophrenogenic mother
. schizophrenogenic mother: cold, controlling, rejecting, emotionally unresponsive
. father often passive

FEELING:
. builds family climate characterised by tension/secrecy
. child not feel love and affection

SYMPTOM:
. leads to distrust
. later develops into paranoid delusions (+ve symptoms)

Question 6

Double bind communication (NAME)

Answer 6

EXPLAIN:
. Sz due to faulty communication patterns that exist within families
. parent communicates verbal message
. not matched with non-verbal message
. child receives mixed messages
. e.g. father = verbally loving, emotionally rejecting, rigid when child shows affection

FEELING:
. conflicting, confusing forms of communication contribute to Sz
. child feels cannot do right thing
. becomes increasing anxious

SYMPTOMS:
. leading to withdrawal/avoiding social contact (avolition)
. mixed messages result in disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions

Question 7

Expressed emotion (NAME)

Answer 7

EXPLAIN:
. level of emotion - particularly negative
. expressed towards person by family members
. high levels of expressed emotion like:
verbal criticism and occasional violence
hostility - anger and rejection
emotional over-involvement

FEELING:
. development of Sz:
cause stress in patient
constant harassment trigger onset Sz

SYMPTOMS:
. maintenance of Sz:
stress caused is primary explanation for relapse
Sz patient placed back in stressful enviro resurgence of positive and negative symptoms

Question 8

AO3 for schizophrenogenic mother of family dysfunction: RTS by Mednick - child

Answer 8

P - RTS schizophrenogenic mother theory - Mednick et al
E - researched 207 children high risk developing Sz - raised in dysfunctional families mothers were cold, rejecting emotionally unresponsive to children’s needs
E - found 10 years later 17 children high-risk group diagnosed with Sz - 8% compared to 1% of general population
L - so supporting theory that family dysfunction lead to Sz

Question 9

AO3 for schizophrenogenic: RTS DISCUSS - prospective

Answer 9

. research praised as based on prospective data . a sample followed for a long period of time
. so not have confounding variable
. of patients with Sz having to look back to childhood
. recall information may be incorrect due to passing of time
. so increases internal validity of research into family dysfunction as explanation for Sz

Question 10

AO3 for family dysfunction as an explanation of schziophrenia: practical applications

Answer 10

P - strength family dysfunction as explanation Sz practical applications
E - cause principles of explanation that Sz caused by faulty family communication led to treatment family therapy.
E - is effective in treating Sz by therapist meeting with patient and family to try alter relationship/communication patterns - reduces stress levels and expressed emotion - help prevent relapse of Sz
L - so family dysfunction as explanation of Sz important part of applied psychology - helps treat people in real world

Question 11

AO3 for family dysfunction: alternative explanation - biological

Answer 11

P - alternative explanation Sz - biological explanation
E - suggests Sz due to hyperdopaminergia - high levels dopamine activity in central brain areas associated symptoms of Sz - e.g. auditory hallucinations associated high levels of dopamine around Broca’s area
E - rather than dysfunction in family communication - e.g. having schizophrenogenic mother
L - so weakens family dysfunction as explanation Sz - is not sole explanation should be considered

Question 12

AO3 for double bind communication of family dysfunction: RTS by Berger - Sz and non

Answer 12

P - RTS double bind communication by Berger
E - when asked about interactions with parents in childhood - found schizophrenics could remember more instances of double bind communication from mother than non-schizophrenics.
E - provides clear support for mixed communication in schizophrenics’ childhood
L - so supports family dysfunction as explanation Sz
Discussion: However, this research is based on retrospective data as the patient has to think back to childhood. Therefore, this could mean that there are inaccuracies in recall as a long period of time has passed. This reduces the internal validity of the research to support the family dysfunction as an explanation of schizophrenia.

Question 13

AO3 for double bind communication of family dysfunction: RTS DISCUSS retrospective

Answer 13

. research based on retrospective data
. patient has to think back to childhood
. could mean are inaccuracies in recall
. as long period of time passed
. reduces internal validity of RTS family dysfunction as explanation Sz

Question 14

What are the sub-topics of cognitive explanation?

Answer 14

. dysfunctional thought processing in:
metarepresentation
central control

Question 15

Cognitive explanation

Answer 15

. focus on role of internal mental processes
. Sz characterised by disruption to normal thought processing
. Frith et al - two kinds of dysfunctional thought processing trigger some symptoms

Question 16

Metarepresentation (NAME)

Answer 16

EXPLAIN:
. cognitive ability to reflect on thoughts and behaviours
. allows us to understand our actions/actions of others

FEELING:
. dysfunction in metarepresentation disrupt our ability
. to recognise our own actions/thoughts
. as being carried out by ourselves

SYMPTOM:
. could explain auditory hallucinations (+ve symptom)
. not understand voices in head is own voice and not somebody else’s
. causing distress

Question 17

Central control (NAME)

Answer 17

EXPLAIN:
. cognitive ability suppress automatic responses
. whilst performing deliberate action instead

FEELING and SYMPTOM:
. dysfunction in central control
. explain disorganised speech and thought disorder
. person not able suppress automatic thoughts and speech triggered by thoughts/words spoken (delusions)
. experience disrupted spoken sentences - derailment - spoken words trigger other associations

Question 18

AO3 for central control of cognitive explanation of schizophrenia: RTS by Stirling - stroop test

Answer 18

P - RTS dysfunctional thought processing (central control) by Stirling et al
E - compared 30 patients with Sz with 18 non-patient controls - on range of cognitive tasks e.g. stroop Test.
E - ppts had to accurately name ink colour of colour word printed - Sz patients took over twice as long to complete task as control - as Sz not supress automatic response of saying word rather than colour
L - so supporting Frith’s theory of central control dysfunction as explanation Sz

Question 19

AO3 for cognitive explanation of schizophrenia: alternative explanation - biological or family dysfunction

Answer 19

P - alternative explanation for Sz is biological explanation or family dsyfunction.
E - suggests Sz due to hyperdopaminergia - high levels of dopamine activity in central brain areas associated with auditory hallucinations
E - rather than dysfunction in thought processing e.g. lack of metarepresentation.
L - so weakening cognitive explanation for Sz not only explanation of Sz should be considered.

Question 20

AO3 for cognitive explanation of schizophrenia: practical applications

Answer 20

P - strength cognitive explanation Sz practical applications.
E principles of theory that Sz caused by delusional thoughts led to the treatment of CBT
E - is effective in treating Sz - patients helped identify and challenge their delusional thoughts - reduce positive symptoms of Sz e.g. delusions of control
L - so cognitive explanation of Sz is important part of applied psychology - helps treat people in real world