Psychological explanations of schizophrenia

• What type of explanations have attracted the most research support in recent years regarding schizophrenia?

  Biological explanations
• What do psychological explanations of schizophrenia emphasize?

  They emphasize the role of family dysfunction and cognitive processes.
• What is the term used to describe abnormal patterns of communication within the family as a cause of schizophrenia?

  Family dysfunction
• Who proposed the theory of the schizophrenogenic mother?

  Fromm-Reichmann
• What characteristics define a schizophrenogenic mother?

  A schizophrenogenic mother is cold, dominant, and moralistic.
• How does the family climate created by a schizophrenogenic mother affect a child?

  It leads to distrust, paranoid delusions, and ultimately schizophrenia.
• What does the double bind theory suggest about children and schizophrenia?


  Children receiving contradictory messages from parents are more likely to develop schizophrenia.
• What is an example of a contradictory message in the double bind theory?


  A mother saying she loves her son while turning her head away in disgust.
• What is the impact of high expressed emotion (EE) on schizophrenia patients?


  High EE increases the likelihood of relapse in schizophrenia patients.
• According to research, how much more likely is a patient returning to a high EE family to relapse?

  About 4 times more likely
• What are the elements of expressed emotion (EE)?


  Verbal criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement.
• How does a negative emotional climate in families affect schizophrenia patients?

  It arouses the patient and leads to stress, triggering episodes.
• What is the role of cognitive explanations in understanding schizophrenia?

  Cognitive explanations emphasize dysfunctional thought processing in schizophrenia.
• What are the two kinds of dysfunctional thought processing identified by Christopher Frith?

  Metarepresentation and central control.
• What does metarepresentation allow individuals to do?


  It allows insight into one's own intentions and the actions of others.
• What is the consequence of dysfunction in metarepresentation?

  It disrupts the ability to recognize one's own actions and thoughts.