SCHIZOPHRENIA: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01

Question 1

Schizophrenia: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01:
2 Theories

Answer 1

Double bind theory
Expressed Emotion

Question 2

Schizophrenia: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01:
Names

Answer 2

Bateson
Brown

Question 3

Schizophrenia: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01:
Double bind theory explanation & theorist

Answer 3

Schizophrenia is a consequence of abnormal and inadequate patterns of communication within the families of schizophrenics

Bateson - Families of schizophrenics communicate in a destructively ambiguous fashion
- E.g. Mother will tell the child that she loves them but in a tone of voice that does not suggest love
- GENERALISED: CAN CAUSE A CHILD TO RESPOND WITH MALADAPTIVE THINKING PATTERNS:
- “All things said to me contain hidden meanings that are harmful”

Question 4

Schizophrenia: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01:
Double bind - Conflicting Messages

Answer 4

Schizophrenia may develop when a child does not have the opportunity to ignore or adequately respond to social actions wherein there are conflicting messages

• Incapacitate the child to respond effectively
• Child is unable to metacommunicate due to their reliance on their parent

Bateson - Conflicting messages are just a risk factor to schizophrenia

Question 5

Schizophrenia: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01:
Double bind - Link to schizophrenia

Answer 5

Long-term exposure to these communication contradictions means that the child learns to perceive the world in terms of contradictory input from their environment
- Are unable to discriminate between the contradictory messages as they have internalised the double bind situation

Bateson - Eventually led to positive symptoms of schizophrenia as a means of escaping the contradictory demands of the double bind situation

Question 6

Schizophrenia: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01:
Expressed Emotion - Explanation & Theorist

Answer 6

Families who engage in expressed emotion (EE) show high levels of criticism, hostility and emotional over protectiveness.

The emotion expressed by relevant people in a child’s home

BROWN - investigated 156 schizophrenic men after they had been discharged:
- Relapse was strongly connected to the homes the men were released to
⭐Found a relationship between the amount of expressed emotion and the likelihood of relapse

Question 7

Schizophrenia: Social - Dysfunctional Families A01:
Expressed Emotion - High / Low

Answer 7

HIGH EE: Higher likelihood of relapse
- Insisted schizophrenics were lazy

LOW EE: Less relapse
- Acknowledged behaviours such as laziness were due to the schizophrenic’s illness