Schizophrenia (Psychodynamic) Flashcards
Who did Freud work with?
He did not work or treat schizophrenics
He believed that schizophrenics lacked the ability for insight that psychodynamic theory required
Freud’s theory of schizophrenia was based almost solely on the the memoir of Daniel Paul Schreber (1842 - 1911)
Schreber was a successful and highly respected judge until he began to suffer from psychosis in middle age.
He was held in an asylum for many years and in 1902 he put a case for his release but was readmitted in 1907 and died there in 1911
He wrote his memoirs, Memoirs of my Nervous Illness (1903)
Fixation
Fixation: Stuck at stages of psychosexual development
Gains traits form that stage
Regression
Regression is a type of ego defence mechanism
When an individual comes in contact with stressful thoughts or impulses, they may regress back to an earlier stage of development rather than deal with the issues
The anxiety is pushed into the unconscious mind
Someone who is fixated at a particular stage may regress back to that stage as an adult in response to stress
What happens if the person becomes fixated at the oral stage
If an individual with an oral fixation encounters an excessive amount of stress, they may regress back to an early stage, and the schizophrenic becomes essentially newborn like again
This regression involves the loss of all attachments other than those focused on the self, the schizophrenic becomes distant and entirely inward focusing
This detachment from reality combined with still have possession of an active mind leads to the creation of fantasies
Ego is essentially non existent so the fantasies and the wish fulfilment of the id can go unchecked
What is the schizophrenic mother?
Suggested by Fredia Fromm - Reichman (1889 - 1957)
During the 1940s and 1950s, a number of studies had suggested that the mother - child relationship was disordered in cases where the child was schizophrenic (Lidz and Lidz (1949))
Suggested that the trigger for schizophrenia came from mothers who were overly dominant in the home, particularly towards the schizophrenic child
But while being controlling, they were cold and distant
Why does a schizophrenic mother cause schizophrenia?
The overprotection stifles the child’s development and their distance leaves the child feeling emotionally insecure
What is a positive of schizophrenic mother
Explains why schizophrenia runs in families
What are the negatives of a schizophrenic mother
Not supported by much evidence
Waring and Ricks (1965) contradict the mothers as harsh, found they tended to be anxious/shy
Wild et al (1975) found that it was the father of schizophrenic rather than the mother that plays the more dominant role
Cause and effect is not clear cut
Fromm-Reichman - mothers personality has lead to schizophrenia
Having a schizophrenic child causes the mother to respond in such ways
Children who develop schizophrenia may show prodromal symptoms and are harder to bond to
Incomplete theory
Blame for schizophrenia is squarely on mothers (guilt/shame)
What are the positives of this theory?
Explanatory power (loss of touch with reality as in infant like state), can also explain some of the symptoms of schizophrenia such as delusions of grandeur
What are some negatives of this theory?
Schizophrenic behaviour does not resemble that of infants (Sterling and Hellewell 1999) Young children show enthusiasm and motivation to engage, lack of motivation in schizophrenics is different from children
Psychoanalysis is essentially useless, based on the assumptions so the fact that the therapy does not work suggests that the assumptions are false
Antipsychotic drugs have been shown to be a much more effective treatment - strongly suggests biological explanation
Unscientific and untestable, Schizophrenia is based on the assumption that all people have a tripartite personality and unconscious mind, which have little scientific evidence
Written on a single memoir of one schizophrenic, which has issues of generalising and is idiographic
Cannot explain why schizophrenia generally develops in adolescence
Ignores the role of genes - Genes were unknown in the time of Freud
