Schizophrenia Psychological explanations Flashcards
Family dysfunction, strength and limitation, combo whopper
READ ET AL
There is evidence to suggest that difficult family relationships in childhood are associated with increased risk of schizophrenia in adulthood.
Read et al (2005) reviewed 46 studies of child abuse and schizophrenia and concluded that 69% of adult woman in-patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia had a history of physical abuse, sexual abuse or both in childhood. For men the figure was 59%.
This evidence provides support for the involvement of family dysfunction in schizophrenia.
However, this information about childhood experiences was gathered after the development of the schizophrenia symptoms. This is a problem because the schizophrenia may have distorted patients’ recall of childhood experiences.
Cognitive explanation, limitation, double whopper
VICTIM BLAMING
Some people might argue that the cognitive explanation places too much ownership on the individual. The explanation suggests that faulty thinking is responsible for the symptoms of schizophrenia and therefore one way to treat the illness would be to change an individual’s cognitions. This could lead to individuals feeling like they are to blame for the development of schizophrenia. This will not be helpful when it comes to trying to treat the illness.
Family dysfunction, limitation, double whopper
WEAK SUPPORT
Although there is evidence supporting the broad principle that poor childhood experiences in the family are associated with adult schizophrenia, there is almost none to support the importance of the schizophrenogenic mother or double bind theory.
Both of these theories are based on clinical observation of patients and early evidence involved assessing the personality of the mothers of patients for ‘crazy making characteristics’. This approach is not something that is favoured by modern day psychiatrists and the lack of evidence to support the explanations of schizophrenia questions their validity.
Cognitive explanations, limitation, hamburger
DIRECTION OF CAUSALITY
The cause and effect relationship between faulty cognition and schizophrenia is unknown. We do not know whether the faulty cognition causes the symptoms of schizophrenia, or whether the symptoms of schizophrenia cause the faulty cognition. This suggests that the validity of cognitive explanations for the original cause of schizophrenia is questionable.
Both explanations, limitation, double whopper
REDUCTIONIST
Psychological explanation for schizophrenia does not consider the role of biology in the development of schizophrenia.
They are therefore reductionist as they are only focusing on psychological aspects of human experience and trying to explain the disorder through that. In doing so, it is ignoring the evidence provided by biological explanations for the role of genes and dopamine in the illness.
It is more likely that a diathesis-stress model is the most appropriate explanation of schizophrenia – the diathesis could be biological or psychological in nature and a stressor from the environment then exacerbates the condition.
Cognitive explanation, limitation, hamburger
DONT EXPLAIN HOW THOUGH
Cognitive explanations of schizophrenia do not explain how the faulty cognition occurred.
The cognitive explanations are purely descriptive; they explain the links between the symptoms of schizophrenia and the faulty thinking that occurs, but they do not explain what causes the faulty thinking. This suggests that the validity of cognitive explanations for the original cause of schizophrenia is questionable.
Family dysfunction, limitation, hamburger
PARENT BLAMING
Family dysfunction explanations for schizophrenia have led historically to parent-blaming.
Parents, who have already suffered at seeing their child develop schizophrenia and who are likely to bear lifelong responsibility for their care, underwent further trauma by receiving the blame for the condition.
The shift in the 1980’s from hospital to community care, often involving parental care, may be one of the factors leading to the decline of the schizophrenogenic mother and double bind theories, because parents are no longer tolerating them.
Cognitive explanation, strength, double whopper.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
There is strong support for the idea that information is processed differently in the mind of the schizophrenia sufferer compared to controls. Stirling et al (2006) compared 30 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia with 18 non-patient controls on a range of cognitive tasks including the Stroop Test where participants have to name the ink colours of coloured words, thus supressing the impulse to read the words. Patients took twice as long to name the ink colours as the controls showing that they experienced more central control dysfunction. This suggests difficulty in suppressing automatic processing in turn, increasing the validity of the explanation.
