Schizophrenia -> Psychological Explanations

Question 1

The double bind theory of communication: Bateson

Answer 1

disturbed patterns of communication and family dysfunction
conflicting and mixed messages
caring some of the time and then critical at other times
positive comments in a cruel way
confusion, withdrawal and self doubt
internally coherent sense of reality
mixed messages
withdrawing their love

confusing and dangerous
schizophrenic symptoms
A marital schism
argue and involve
distress and confusion

Question 2

Strengths of the double bond theory

Answer 2

cause and effect
other factors
&
studying families retrospectively
memories
faulty and inaccurate

Question 3

Weaknesses of the double bond theory

Answer 3

higher recall of double bind statements by their mothers
&
psychodynamic theorists
schizophrenogenic mother
cold, controlling and rejecting

Question 4

Expressed Emotion (EE): Kavanagh

Answer 4

Negative emotional interactions/climate in families might play a key role in helping to cause and maintain the symptoms of schizophrenia Expressed emotion can be regarded as a set of traits whereby family members talk about/to the schizophrenia patient in a critical and hostile manner. This might aid a relapse in a person who once had schizophrenia, but is now getting better.

Question 5

Strengths of EE

Answer 5

1990’s
maintenance model
relapse
different cultures
education and training

Question 6

Weaknesses of EE

Answer 6

biological factors
research support
&
minimal contact
institutionalised
minimal chance

Question 7

The Cognitive view of schizophrenia: Frith

Answer 7

cognitive factors
delusions of control and auditory hallucinations
self-monitoring
track their own thoughts properly

dysfunctional thought processes
cognitive biases
metacognition

Question 8

Metarepresentation

Answer 8

The ability for a person to reflect on thoughts and experiences, 3 factors of metarepresentation can help explain the symptoms of schizophrenia and how the illness develops. Schizophrenics tend to suffer from:

Question 9

Research by Frith

Answer 9

He gave schizophrenic and healthy participants a two choice task & they had to guess whether the next card in a pack was either Red (R) or Black (B). Schizophrenia patients tended to produce stereotypical choices such as RRRRRRRR. Healthy participants’ tended to produce more random choices such as RRBRBRRRB.

Question 10

Weaknesses of Frith

Answer 10

metarepresentation
Reductionist
&
underlying cause of schizophrenia
biological
ignores other approaches
&
cause and effect
dysfunctional thought processing
&
list of the symptoms
not very clear

Question 11

Cognitive causes of Schizophrenia: Hemsley

Answer 11

perception and memory
Schemas
breakdown in their cognitive processing
sensory overload
concentrate on and what to ignore
disorganised and delusional thinking and behaviour

Question 12

Weaknesses of Hemsley

Answer 12

ethical issues
fully informed consent
psychological harm
cognitive functioning
withdraw
&
dysfunctional thoughts
Schizophrenic symptoms
&
neurobiological, environmental, behavioural and cognitive
abnormality in brain functioning
vulnerability to stressful experiences