psychological explanations of schizophrenia Flashcards
what is the psychological explanations of sz
The cognitive explanation
SZ: what is the cognitive explanation
This approach suggests the cause of sz is dysfunctional thought processing –> people think differently to those w/o the disorder
SZ: what are the 2 forms of dysfunctional thought processing?
Metarepresentation
Central control
what is metarepresentation
schizophrenics no longer have the ability to reflect on their own thoughts or recognise their own thoughts and feelings which would lead to them believing hallucinations and delusions.
what is central control
Schizophrenics cannot suppress automatic processes to perform deliberate processes which are why they have interference in their speech processing
how can lack of self monitoring lead to symptoms of schizophrenia
They cannot use rational thought to reassure themselves that the threat is not real
what leads schizophrenics to perceive themselves to be at the centre of events
egocentric bias
what does egocentric bias cause schizophrenics to do
they would jump to conclusions about external events leading them to arrive at false conclusions as they relate irrelevant events to themselves
what symptoms does egocentric bias cause
Positive
hallucinations and delusions
How can another person cause a schizophrenics hallucinations and delusions to worsen?
When a schizophrenic looks for clarification from another person about a hallucination and the person states that they didn’t see it, the sz then thinks they’re hiding something from then worsening the positive symptoms
what research is there to support the cognitive explanation
Joshua et al
what did Joshua et al do and find when investigating schizophrenias in support of the cognitive explanation
they compared 39 sz, 40 bipolar and 44 healthy patients doing the Hayling Sentence Completion test.
They found that:
Sz had slower response time and slower suppression and thinking time
This shows and impaired executive functioning ‘control of thoughts’ compared to controls and bipolar pts.
what test did joshua et al get patients to complete and what did it involve
Hayling Sentence Completion test
it consists of two sets of 15 sentences each having the last word missing.
In the first section the examiner reads each sentence aloud and p.t simply complete the sentence, researchers also measured the time taken in the response initiation speed.
The second part of the test requires them to complete a sentence with a. nonsense ending word (suppressing the sensible one) – measuring the response suppression and thinking time,
What is family dysfunction
maladaptive relationships and patterns of communication within families that cause stress.
what are the 3 family dysfunction
High levels of interpersonal conflict
Difficulty communicating with each other
Being excessively critical or controlling
what is double bind theory
contradictory message from parents
what is an example of double bind theory
a verbal message is given by parents but the opposite behaviour is displayed
what does double bind theory state will happen to schizophrenics
schizophrenics do not develop a coherent construction of reality as a result of mixed messages which causes delusions
what is expressed emotion as an explanation for schizophrenia
it is a family communication style that is often critical or hostile reflecting an over involvement or concern with the patient or their behaviour.
how does expressed emotion lead to an explanation for schizophrenia
it can be linked to the cause of hallucinations and delusions as a result of persecution
example of expressed emotion within dysfunctional families which leads to schizophrenia
this can arise from verbal criticism, violence, hostility, anger, rejection, emotional over-involvement and needless self-sacrifice
who created research to support the idea of dysfunctional families as an explanation for schizophrenia
Tienari et al 2004
