Schizophrenia - psychological and cognitive explanations Flashcards
What does the family dysfunction explanation suggest?
Schizophrenia is due to family experiences of interpersonal conflicts, communication problems, criticism and control.
Name three explanations for family dysfunction and their researcher.
Double-blind theory - Bateson et al. (1972)
Expressed emotion - Kavanagh (1992)
Schizophregenic mother - Fromm-Reichmann (1948)
Who is the researcher for Schizophregenic mother explanation?
Fromm-Reichmann (1948)
Who is the researcher for Expressed emotion explanation?
Kavanagh (1992)
Who is the researcher for the Double-blind explanation?
Bateson (1972)
What is the psychological explanation of schizophrenia?
family dysfunction
What is the cognitive explanation for schizophrenia?
Dysfunctional thought processing
Give the characteristics of the family for Double-blind theory.
Child receives mixed messages and can’t do the right thing. When they get it wrong, they are punished with withdrawal of love.
What impact does the Double-blind theory have on the patient?
It leads to understanding the world as confusing and dangerous.
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia associated with the Double-blind theory?
Can trigger disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions, and ultimately schizophrenia.
Give the characteristics of the family for Expressed emotion explanation.
It is a measure of the family environment that is based on how the relatives of psychiatric patients spontaneously talk about the patient.
If a family is showing high expressed emotions, they show exaggerated involvement in the patients life, control, verbal criticism of the patient and hostility.
What impact does the Expressed emotion explanation have on the patient?
Can leed to excessive stress beyond impaired coping mechanisms.
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia associated with the Expressed emotion explanation?
This can trigger relapse in patients with schizophrenia and may trigger the onset in a person who is already vulnerable due to their genetic makeup.
Give the characteristics of the family for Schizophregenic mother explanation
The mother iscoldm controlling and rejecting while the father is passive.
What impact does the Schizophregenic mother explanation have on the patient?
Can lead to excessive stress and distrust as the family climate is characterised by tension and secrecy.
What are the symptoms of schizophrenia associated with the Schizophregenic mother explanation?
This can trigger psychiatric thinking sonf paranoid delusions and ultimately schizophrenia.
Bullet point three evaluation points for the psychological explanation of schizophrenia.
- mixed research for double-blind and schizophregenic mother conducted by Berger (supports it) and Liem (undermines it).
- ethical issues of using family dysfunction as blames the parents who are already suffering with watching their child descend into schizophrenia, causing greater stress and anxiety.
- some evidence support for expressed emotion conducted by Garety et al. who found relapse rate for those in family therapy for EE was 25% compared to those who did standard therapy where is was 50%.
Give a full evaluation paragraph on mixed research for family dysfunction.
P: The research for both double-blind and schizophrenic mother is mixed.
E: Berger (1995) found that schizophrenics reported a higher recall of double-blind statements by their mothers than non-schizophrenics.
Whereas, Liem (1974) found no difference in parental communication in families with a schizophrenic child and ‘normal’ families.
E: Overall there is not a lot of support for family dysfunction explanations as there is lots of contradicting research as well.
L: Therefore, it is difficult to determine the explanation as being valid.
Give a full evaluation paragraph on ethical issues with the family dysfunction theory.
P: There are also ethical issues of using family dysfunction theories as they have led to parent-blaming.
E: Parents who have already suffered as seeing their child descend into schizophrenia and who are likely to bear life long responsibilities for their care, feel responsible for their child illness.
E: This leads to greater stress and anxiety in the parent on top of how they already feel, suggesting the theories are unethical.
L: Therefore, these theories are no longer used as the dominant throes for schizophrenia because outdated views that were once accepted are no longer tolerated but families.
Give a full evaluation paragraph on research for family dysfunction.
P: However, there is still some research evidence to support the theory of expressed emotion.
E: Garety et al. (2008) estimated the relapse rate for individuals who receive family therapy based on reducing EE was 25% compared to 50% relapsed rate for those receiving standard therapy.
E: The effectiveness of family therapy based on reducing EE, supports family dysfunction theories because by changing the EE, rate of relapse reduced (halves).
L: Thus, implying that the EE plays a role in the return of symptoms of schizophrenia.
What is the cognitive explanation for schizophrenia?
Dysfunctional though processes including;
- central control
- matarepresentations
Explain the cognitive explanation for schizophrenia.
Suggests, that schizophrenia is due to abnormal information processing. Frith et al. (1992) identified two kinds of dysfunctional thought processes that could underlie some symptoms of schizophrenia;
- central control
- metarepresentation
Define dysfunctional thought processing.
Cognitive habits or beliefs that cause the individual to evaluate information inappropriately and proceeds undesirable consequences.
What is central control?
The cognitive ability to suppress automatic responses while we perform deliberate actions instead.
