Schizophrenia - Social psychological explanations

Question 1

1 What is a double bind?

Answer 1

Child is repeatedly exposed to social interactions where there are 2 conflicting messages - doesnt have the opportunity to ignore them or respond resulting in SZ - cant meta-communicate

Question 2

1 What did Bateson state?

Answer 2

communication difficulties within the family, especially between paretns and their children result in symptoms of SZ

Question 3

1 What does long term exposure mean?

Answer 3

child learns to perceive the worlds in terms of contradictory input from their environment and that they are unable to discriminate between contradictory messages - internalised double bind situation

Question 4

1 What did Bateson believe?

Answer 4

this internalisation leads to symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions as a means of escaping contradictory demands of double bind

Question 5

1 Supporting research (clinical evidence) for double bind?

Answer 5

Many studies highlight communication difficulties in families of individuals with SZ
Bateson - reports clinical evidence (interviews,observations) illustrating use of double bind communication by parents of SZ patients

Question 6

1 Supporting research (questionnaire) for double bind?

Answer 6

Berger - SZ ppt concistently reported higher incidence of such statement than one of the comparison groups but not one which also had medical or psychiatric conditions

Question 7

1 Lack of research evidence for double bind?

Answer 7

Liem - communication offered in a structured task by parents of 11 sons with SZ were no more disordered than the communications offered by parents whose 11 sons did not have SZ
Any studies that found a difference in communications may just be parents adapting communication styles when dealing with SZ child

Question 8

2 What did Brown suggest?

Answer 8

relapse strongly connected with type of home the men were discharged to. Those who stayed with parents or wives were more likely to relapse than those who lived with siblings

Question 9

2 Components of expressed emotion?

Answer 9

Critical comments - made by high EE caregivers
Hostility - found in high EE due to irritation by the patient
Emotional overinvolvement - evident in parent aregivers - guilty for child’s illness leading to excessive reparative efforts
Warmth - evidence in low EE caregivers, low in high EE

Question 10

2 Supporting research (credible) for EE?

Answer 10

Vaughn & Leff - 53% of SZ with high EE relatives relapsed within 9 months. 12% with low EE

Question 11

2 Contradictory research for EE?

Answer 11

McCreadie & Philips - failed to find higher relaspe rates among those who had high EE relatives

Question 12

2 Alternative explanation (medication) for EE?

Answer 12

Overlooks that relapse may be due to patients stopping taking their medication once in the community rather than communication

Question 13

2 Alternative explanation (genes) for EE?

Answer 13

Family shared genes may also contribure rather than communication difficulties - 108 genes associated with SZ

Question 14

2 Partial explanation for EE

Answer 14

Diathesis stress model - family relationships may act as a psychological trigger that causes genetically vulnerable individuals to develop SZ - communication is only one factor in development of SZ