psychological explanations + therapies SZ Flashcards
the schizophrenogenic mother
a psychodynamic explanation; if a mother is cold, rejecting and controlling she creates a family environment controlled by tension + secrecy
leads to distrust that later develops into paranoia in child and ultimately SZ.
characteristics of schizophrenogenic mother
Fromm - Reichmann described characteristics as:
cold + domineering, overprotective, insensitive, rejecting, fear of intimacy
this is suggested to cause SZ in child as there is faulty parental communication and contradictory behaviour. Mother can be overprotective yet rejecting and it may cause confusion in child.
double blind theory
mother and/or father would have a pattern of giving child conflicting messages
messages placed child in no win situation and caused confusion + anxiety
Prolonged exposure to a family that communicates in a destructively ambiguous fashion. They fear doing wrong thing but get mixed messaged about what this is.
child feels unable to comment on the unfairness. Leads to incoherent construction of reality which may become paranoid delusions (SZ)
expressed emotion
Level of negative emotion eg verbal criticism, anger, rejection and abuse
Causes stress for individuals which can trigger SZ in those already genetically vulnerable (diathesis stress model)
Can explain relapse in schizophrenic patients – negative emotion via carers.
E.g.
• Critical comments occasionally accompanied by violence
• Hostility towards the person, including anger and rejection
• Emotional over-involvement in the life of patient
Strength of psychological explanations
Supportive research
E: Read et al meta analysis: 69% of female and 59% of male schizophrenics had history of physical + sexual abuse in childhood
C: suggests a possible cause of SZ is linked to previous abuse which relates to expressed emotion. Also, meta analysis established high reliability
HOWEVER accounts of schizophrenics self report data may be invalid as it’s derived from delusion schizophrenics may have experienced as they aren’t in fit state of mind
Limitation of psychological explanations reductionist
E: reductionist as they are stating that SZ develops in people as a result of family dysfunction. Fails to consider bio explanations eg inherited genes where identical twins have 48% chance of developing it and lowers as you increase distance between relatives
C: limits understanding of what causes SZ which limits treatment that can be made available for schizophrenics
Limitation of psychological explanations
Family dysfunction is socially sensitive
E: schizophrenogenic mother is socially sensitive as it places entire cause of SZ on mothers role throughout childhood
C: strong negative impact on mothers/families if they are solely blamed for their child’s mental health issues (extreme guilt can affect own well being)
