schizophrenia- interactionist approach Flashcards
what is the interactionist approach to schizophrenia ?
acknowledges that there are biological, psychological and societal factors in the development of schizophrenia
the interactionist approach is explained by what ?
the diathesis stress model
explain the diathesis stress model
Schizophrenia is explained as the result of both an underlying vulnerability (diathesis) and a trigger
In early versions of the model, vulnerability was genetic and triggers were psychological. Nowadays both genes and trauma can be seen as diathesis, and stress can be psychological or biological in nature.
strength of interactionist approach ( evidence for diathesis sress model)
P – There is evidence to support the role of genetic vulnerability and stress in the development of schizophrenia.
E – Tienari et al (2014) found that children who experienced an environment with high levels of criticism and low levels of empathy were more likely to develop schizophrenia, but only if there was a high genetic risk of schizophrenia.
E – This suggests that both genetic vulnerability and family-related stress are important in the development of schizophrenia.
strength of interactionist approach ( evidence for new version of diathesis stress model)
– There is evidence to support the role of psychological vulnerability and stress in the development of schizophrenia.
E – Houston et al (2008) found that childhood sexual trauma emerged as a vulnerability factor whilst cannabis use was a trigger.
E – This shows that both biological and psychological factors can be viewed as a diathesis for schizophrenia.
limitation of interactionist approach (lack of understanding)
P – We do not fully understand how the combination of a vulnerability and stress can lead to schizophrenia.
E – There is evidence to suggest that there is a link between the two but there is no explanation of how the symptoms of schizophrenia are produced.
E – This reduces the validity of the explanation as we cannot use the explanation to say how the two cause schizophrenia.
I – This means that the approach is only a description that seems plausible and cannot be used to inform treatment
strength of interactionist approach (holistic)
P – The interactionist explanation of schizophrenia is a more holistic explanation.
E – It considers both biological and psychological factors such as genetics, trauma and smoking habits that can be implicated in the development of schizophrenia.
E – This is good as it identifies that a wide range of factors could be involved in the illness rather than trying to simplify explanations down to genetics or maladaptive thoughts.
