Sz: Psychological Explainations Flashcards
1
Q
What is a family system?
A
- a family can be seen as a set of entities, each interacting with all the others
- the behaviour of each entity can only be understood by looking at its relationship with the others
- if one person starts to behave abnormally, the problem may not lie within that person
—> their behaviour may be a manifestation of a problem occurring within the wider family system
2
Q
What is the Szhizophrenogenic mother?
A
- Fromm-Reichman developed her theory by listening to accounts of her clients childhoods
- according to them, the Szic mother is one who creates schizophrenic children
- they are domineering, cold, rejecting and guilt-producing
- in conjunction to a passive and ineffectual father, such mothers ‘drove’ their children to Sz by creating a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy
—> this creates distrust that later develop into paranoid delusions and ultimately, Sz
3
Q
What are some issues with the Sz mother theory?
A
- research showed that the mothers personality was not a reliable predictor of mental illness and the Sz mother approach came to be regarded as an embarrassing, sexist hold over from a less enlightened time (although much research continues to implicate a disturbed upbringing as a risk in Sz onset and relapse) —> socially sensitive
4
Q
What is the double bind theory by Bateson?
A
- Sz is a consequence of abnormal patterns in family communication
- in a double bind situation, a person is given mutually contradictory signals by another person.
- this places them in an impossible situation, causing internal conflict - Sz symptoms represent an attempt to escape from the double bind
—> e.g. a father might complain that his daughter shows a lack of affection (called primary communication). At the same time, the father might tell his daughter that she is too old to hug him when she tries to be affectionate (a meta communication) the child can’t win
5
Q
What did Bateson report for double bind theory?
A
Clinical evidence (interviews, observations) illustrating use of double bind communication by parents of Sz patients
—> study’s were reprospective
—> issues of researcher (conformity) bias
—> problems with direction of causality
6
Q
What is expressed emotion?
A
- more research into the role of families in the maintenance of Sz rather than its cause
In some families, members are: - frequently hostile towards each other
- critical of each other
- over-involved/concerned with each others lives
—> these families are high in expressed emotion
7
Q
What did Vaughan and Leff find into Expressed emotion?
A
- the extent of EE within a family is a strong predictor of relapse rates amongst discharged Szics
- they found a relapse rate of 51% amongst discharged Szics who returned to high EE families, but only 13% amongst those who returned to low EE families
—> the stress of EE may be to blame for triggering Sz.
8
Q
What are some strengths of family dysfunctions?
A
- Berger found that Szics reported a higher recall of double bind statements by their mothers than non-Szics. —> however, may not be reliable as patients recall may be affected by their Sz
- Hogarty produced a type of therapy session, which reduced social conflicts between parents and their children which reduced EE and thus relapse rates —> useful to provide help for families
9
Q
What are some weaknesses to family dysfunction?
A
- EE is associated with relapse but not all patients who live in high EE families relapse and not all patients in low EE families avoid relapse —> shows results are not always valid
- serious ethical concerns with blaming the family, as little evidence to base this too. Parents who are already struggling with caring for a child with Sz are undergoing further trauma by receiving the blame. Gender bias is also an issue as the mother tends to be blamed the most —> meaning most research is socially sensitive
