Schizophrenia- Psychological Explanations Flashcards
What is the schizophrenogenic mother?
Comes from the psychodynamic approach
A cold and dominant mother who has an overprotecting but rejecting nature
Fromm-Reichmann (1948)
Proposed that individuals brought up by this mothering style develop schizophrenia as they are confused by their mothers overprotective but rejecting nature
AO3 of Fromm-Reichmann
The hypothesis today is not taken seriously by researchers
Roff and Knight (1981): indicates there is a relationship between mothering style and schizophrenia; research has also found that this mothering style has implications to many other disorders- another reason the hypothesis has been abandoned
What is the double-bind hypothesis?
Contradictory situations children can be placed into by parents where verbal messages are given but the opposite behaviour is exhibited
E.g. “Don’t look at me that way” follow by being told “Look at me when i’m speaking to you!”
Bateson (1956)
Described the situation were families send out contradictory information to their children.
He believed that this caused confusion and self-doubt in the child leading to their withdrawal as they lose confidence in their own ability to express themselves
How does double-bind lead to SZ?
Mixed messages lead to confusion and not being able to accept what is real and what isn’t real’ can lead to avolition and delusions
Berger (1965)
Found that SZ patients reported a higher recall of double bind statements by their mothers than non SZ patients
An issue with studies into double bind statement?
They are retrospective; means they are done in the past
Lacks validity because the data may be misrepresented due to the data being from the past, you may struggle to remember
Issues with SZ patients recalling past events?
Due to positive symptoms (e.g. hallucinations) they may not be able to accurately distinguish between recalling reality; double bind statements may me made up
What is expressed emotions?
Families who persistently express criticism and hostility exert a negative influence
Which type of expressed emotion exerts SZ symptoms?
High levels of expressed emotions are typified by extremes of emotional content in conversation and daily life, e.g. high levels of hostility and criticisms and of over-concern with others
Brown et al: identifies that high EE is more important in maintaining schizophrenia than in causing it in the first place.
Evaluation of High Expressed Emotion
Linszen et al(1997): Found that a patient returning to a family with high EE is about 4 times more likely to relapse than a patient whose family is low in EE
Vaughn and Leff(1976): Found 51% of SZ relapses in high EE families, compared to 13% in low EE homes. The more contact the suffer had with high EE relatives, the higher the relapse rate.
Application to treatment
Hogarty (1991): Produced a type of therapy sessions which reduced social conflicts between parents and their children which reduced EE and thus relapse rates. This suggests that gaining an insight into family relationships allows psychiatric professionals to help improve the quality of patients lives.
How does EE influence SZ?
Can lead to effective treatments for the disorder, reducing rehospitalisation and therefore saving money, means the SZ patient can go back to work quicker and continue to contribute to the economy
