Schizophrenia - Psychological Explanations Flashcards
What is the definition of family dysfunction?
Abnormal processes within a family such as poor family communication, cold parenting, and high levels of expressed emotion. These may be risk factors for both the development and maintenance of schizophrenia.
What are cognitive explanations?
Explanations that focus on mental processes such as thinking, language, and attention.
What is dysfunctional thought processing?
A general term meaning information processing that is not functioning normally and produces undesirable consequences.
What is the schizophrenogenic mother?
The schizophrenogenic mother is a psychodynamic explanation for schizophrenia based on Frieda Fromm-Reichmann’s (1948) accounts. It describes a cold, rejecting, and controlling parent who creates a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy. This climate leads to distrust and paranoid delusions, ultimately resulting in schizophrenia.
What is the double-bind theory?
Gregory Bateson et al. (1972) proposed the double-bind theory, suggesting that schizophrenia arises in children who frequently receive contradictory messages from their family. These contradictions make it difficult to respond appropriately, leading to confusion, disorganised thinking, and paranoid delusions. This is considered a risk factor for schizophrenia, not its sole cause.
What is expressed emotion (EE) and its role in schizophrenia?
Expressed emotion (EE) is the level of emotion expressed towards a person with schizophrenia by their carers. It includes:
Verbal criticism, often accompanied by violence.
Hostility towards the person, including anger and rejection.
Emotional over-involvement, including needless self-sacrifice.
High levels of EE increase relapse rates in people with schizophrenia, potentially acting as a stressor that triggers the condition.
What are cognitive explanations for schizophrenia?
Cognitive explanations focus on the role of mental processes in schizophrenia. Dysfunctional thought processing in the temporal and cingulate gyri is linked to symptoms such as hallucinations. Christopher Frith et al. (1992) identified two kinds of dysfunctional thought processing:
Metarepresentation dysfunction – the inability to reflect on thoughts and behaviour, causing difficulties in distinguishing self-generated actions from external actions. This leads to hallucinations.
Central control dysfunction – the inability to suppress automatic responses, leading to speech poverty and thought disorganisation.
What is one evaluation point for family dysfunction?
Support exists for family dysfunction as a risk factor. For example, Read et al. (2005) reviewed 46 studies and found that 69% of adult women with schizophrenia had experienced childhood abuse, compared to 59% for men. Studies like Berry et al. (2008) also link insecure attachment to schizophrenia. However, much of this evidence is retrospective, reducing its validity.
What is one evaluation point for family-based explanations?
Weak evidence exists for family-based explanations. For example, theories such as the schizophrenogenic mother and double-bind theory are based on clinical observations, making them subjective. They also place blame on parents, causing additional stress and potentially leading to ethical concerns.
What is one evaluation point for dysfunctional thought processing?
Strong evidence supports dysfunctional thought processing. For instance, Stirling et al. (2006) compared people with schizophrenia to controls on a cognitive task and found impairments in those with schizophrenia. However, this evidence only establishes a correlation, not causation, between cognitive factors and schizophrenia.
What is one evaluation point about the interaction of factors in schizophrenia?
Psychological explanations for schizophrenia must account for biological factors. For example, cognitive dysfunctions may result from brain abnormalities, such as those in the temporal lobe. This supports the idea that an interaction of biological and psychological factors contributes to schizophrenia.
