Psychological explanations for schizophrenia: family dysfunction

Question 1

The schizophrenogenic mother

Answer 1

is a psychodynamic explanation that literally means schizophrenia causing mother. Mothers that are cold, rejecting and controlling cause the home environment to be high in tension and secrecy. -this can lead to distrust and paranoid delusions

Question 2

Double bind theory

Answer 2

Young children find themselves trapped in situations where they fear by doing the wrong thing. This isn’t helped by received double bind or mixed messages from their parents that often express care but at the same time appear critical.

Question 3

Expressed emotion

Answer 3

Families that are characterised as high levels of negative emotion, are overly critical, overly concerned with behaviour (nosy) and also keep secrets from each other. This predicts that schizophrenics are more likely to relapse (develop the disorder again).

Question 4

Evaluation strength: Read et al (2005)

Answer 4

found 69% of female schizophrenics had experienced some form of physical and sexual abuse whilst 59% of male did too. This links dysfunctional family environment and the disorder.

Question 5

Evaluation strength: Berger (1965)

Answer 5

found that schizophrenics reported a higher recall of double bind statements by their mothers than non-schizophrenics. (however this recall could of lacked accuracy)

Question 6

Evaluation strength: expressed emotion from Linzen et al (1997)

Answer 6

found that patients who returned to a family high in expressed emotion is about four times more likely to relapse than one who returns to one with low expressed emotion.