Psychological explanations Flashcards
1
Q
What are the 2 psychological explanations for schizophrenia?
A
- Family dysfunction
- Dysfunctional thought processing (cognitive)
2
Q
Outline Family dysfunction?
A
- explanations emphasise family-oriented theories of schizophrenia
- Shows importance of childhood upbringing/trauma for development of schiz in adulthood
- Stresses how maladaptive family relationships domestically/poor communication result in development of schiz in adulthood
3
Q
What do Freudian ideas suggest about family dysfunction?
A
- If child experiences trauma in childhood (poor communication) this will be repressed/denied
- Done by using defence mechanisms
- This creates unconscious conflicts which can manifest in adulthood
- The manifestation would take the form of schiz symptoms
4
Q
Outline the Schizophrenogenic mother?
Who came up with the theory?
A
- Mother is cold, domineering, rigid, insensitive, conservative
- Moralistic about sex, fearful of intimacy, provocative
- Characteristics are subjected on the child
- Establishes faulty communication between her & the child
- Creates excessive stress triggering psychotic thinking as child tries to navigate the toxic domestic environment
- Leads to development of schiz in adulthood
- Reichmann (1948)
5
Q
Outline Double-Bind hypothesis?
find out who the psychologist was
A
- Term Double-Bind is used to describe contradictory/confusing situations a child would find themselves in
- Leads to disorganised thinking in adulthood
- Contradiction causes a ‘communication dilemma’ between messaging
- Child will find themselves trapped in conversations feeling they are in the wrong but receive mixed messages & are unable to seek clarification
- If they get it wrong they are punished with the withdrawal of love
- Leads to schiz in adulthood
6
Q
Outline High Expressed Emotion (H.E.E.)?
Who was involved in the theory?
A
- H.E.E. (negative emotion) expressed towards the patient by carers
- Family communication style which involves criticism, hostility & emotional over-involvement
- This maintains schiz not causes it
- Brown (1958) found schiz patients returning to low EE households had less chance of relapse than those returning to HEE households
- HEE causes stress causing relapse
7
Q
Outline family schism?
Outline family skew?
A
- Fathers can be as disturbed & pathological than mother & both from rivalling factions
- Often one parent uses child to complete his/her life
- There is one parent, often mother, who dominates household, whilst the other is submissive
8
Q
A