Schizophrenia: Psychological Explanantions For Sz Flashcards
Name the two variables associated with family dysfunction
1) Double bind theory:
- Emphasised communication style within a family
(e. g. fear of doing the wrong thing but receive mixed messages about what this is).
2) Expressed emotion
- Level of emotion (usually negative), expressed towards a patient from their carers
EE elements:
- verbal criticism of the patient, occasionally accompanied by violence.
Family dysfunction explanation
Family dysfunction claims that Sz is due to childhood and adult experiences of living in a dysfunctional family.
Psychodynamic theorists recognised a schizophrenic mother - typically cold, controlling & rejecting which Leeds to excessive stress which triggers psychotic thinking; father in such families is often passive.
List two limitations of family dysfunction
1) A methodological limitation: Lack of blinding
- Raters were not blinded therefore becoming problematic in studies with longer follow ups where participants tend to unintentionally reveal the type of therapy they had received
- 10/53 studies reported in meta analysis did not use any form of binding
- A further 16 didn’t mention if blinding had been used.
2) Ethical problems
- Parents feel responsible for their child’s illness causing even more stress & anxiety. Out dated views that were once accepted are no longer tolerated by families & are now seen as destructive rather than productive.
Name a research study for the double bind theory and expressed emotion
1) Double bind theory - George Baterson et al. (1956) suggests that children who frequently receive contradictory messages from their parents = more likely to develop Sz.
2) Expressed emotion - Kuipers et al. (1983) found that high EE relatives TALK more and listen less. High levels of EE > relapse rates. A patient returning to a family with high EE is about 4x more likely to relapse compared to a low EE family.
- Suggests people with Sz have < tolerance for intense environmental stimuli.
