The Interactionist Approach

Question 1

What does the interactionist approach suggest?

Answer 1

1. Both nature and nurture share responsibility for the development of schizophrenia
2. Both biological and psychological therapies should be combined to help treat this disorder

Question 2

What is the other name for the interactionist approach?

Answer 2

The Diathesis-Stress model

Question 3

What does diathesis mean?

Answer 3

• We inherit a predisposition to develop schizophrenia
• This combined with stress from the environment could trigger this vulnerability and lead to the development of schizophrenia

Question 4

What are the biological vulnerabilities relating to diathesis?

Answer 4

1. A greater expression of the C4 gene in the brain is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia
2. The dopamine hypothesis

Question 5

What are the environmental factors relating to stress?

Answer 5

1. Schizophrenogenic mother
2. Double bind hypothesis
3. High expressed emotion

Question 6

What was Meehl’s original diathesis stress model?

Answer 6

1. Meehl proposed that diathesis was entirely genetic: The result of a candidate gene which led to a biologically based schizotypic personality (individual is extremely sensitive to stress)
2. However, no amount of stress will lead to schizophrenia if the gene isn’t present

Question 7

What is the modern understanding of diathesis?

Answer 7

Vulnerability is not just genetic and can include trauma which may ultimately change the brains development

Question 8

What is the modern understanding of stress?

Answer 8

1. Previously, it was assumed that parenting had a large contribution to a stressor
2. However, psychologists now believe that environmental triggers are still a factor, but other factors such as cannabis use can be a trigger too

Question 9

What are the 2 key factors to consider with the diathesis stress model?

Answer 9

1. Uncontrollable stressors
2. The additive nature of diathesis and stress

Question 10

What are uncontrollable stressors?

Answer 10

1. External sources outside of a person’s control
2. Seen to be a bigger trigger of biological vulnerabilities than controllable aspects
3. Implies that early family factors or geographical location when young are highly implicated triggers in the diathesis stress model

Question 11

What is the additive nature of diathesis and stress?

Answer 11

1. These factors combine together and lead to schizophrenia
2. E.g. relatively minor stressors may lead to the onset of schizophrenia for those with high biological vulnerabilities
3. Or a major stressful and chronic event may cause a similar reaction to someone who has a much lower biological vulnerability

Question 12

If the point is:

A strength of the interactionist approach is that its incorporation of nature and nurture in schizophrenia is well supported by adoption research.

What is the evidence and link?

Answer 12

Evidence- Tienari et al considered genetic risks and parenting style in a huge adoption study which involved 19,000 Finnish mothers with schizophrenia. Biological parents were assessed for rates of schizophrenia and adoptive parents had their child rearing styles assessed. The results showed that child rearing styles which contained high levels of criticism/conflict and low empathy were implicated in the development of schizophrenia, but only for those with a higher genetic risk.

Link- This implies that both genetic risk and family related stress are both vindicated in the cause of schizophrenia, supporting the diathesis stress account.

Question 13

If the point is:

A weakness of the interactionist approach is that the original diathesis stress model was an oversimplification.

What is the explanation, evidence and link?

Answer 13

Explanation- We now know that multiple factors contribute to the development of schizophrenia. It involves multiple genes and diathesis influenced by psychological factors, and stress can be both biological and psychological.

Evidence- Houston argued that child sexual abuse is a major influence and cannabis is a major trigger.

Link- This suggests that the model may be more complex than it seems.

Question 14

If the point is:

A strength of the interactionist approach is that it has further support from twin studies.

What is the evidence and link?

Answer 14

Evidence- Joseph found a 40% concordance rate in schizophrenia for monozygotic twins and a 7% concordance rate for dizygotic twins. The higher concordance rate for monozygotic twins suggests that genes have some influence on the development of the disorder.

Link- This indicates that an interactionist approach is well validated and could explain more incidences of schizophrenia than biological or psychological explanations alone.

Question 15

If the point is:

A weakness of the interactionist approach is that, although the model makes rational sense, it doesn’t explain how stress impacts the nervous system to trigger the condition.

What is the evidence and link?

Answer 15

Evidence- For example, the model doesn’t illustrate how urban living could inflate dopamine levels or create hypofrontality on patients suffering from schizophrenia.

Link- This implies that more research is needed to understand the full dynamics of the diathesis stress model.

Question 16

What are the evaluation points for the interactionist approach?

Answer 16

+ Its incorporation of nature and nurture in schizophrenia is well supported by adoption research

— The original diathesis stress model was an oversimplification

+ Has further support from twin studies

— Although the model makes rational sense, it doesn’t explain how stress impacts the nervous system to trigger the condition