Psychological explanations for schizophrenia

• What are the psychological explanations for schizophrenia mentioned in the study material?

  Family dynamics and dysfunctional thought processing
• What are the key aspects of family dysfunctions related to schizophrenia?

  • Rejecting and controlling mothers
  • Double-bind theory
  • Conflicting family communication
• What does expressed emotion (EE) refer to in the context of schizophrenia?

  The level of emotional negativity expressed towards the patient
• What components are included in expressed emotion (EE)?

  • Criticism and hostility towards the patient
  • Emotional over-involvement in their life
• What does dysfunctional thought processing imply in schizophrenia?

  It suggests impaired cognition and lower levels of information processing
• Which area of the brain is associated with reduced processing linked to negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

  The ventral striatum
• What is metarepresentation and its role in schizophrenia?

  It is the cognitive ability to reflect on thoughts and behavior, leading to hallucinations
• How does dysfunction of central control relate to speech poverty in schizophrenia?

  It leads to derailment of thoughts and spoken sentences due to automatic associations
• What communication problems may contribute to schizophrenia?

  Problems in family communication can lead to misunderstandings and symptoms
• How might Connor's symptoms be explained using cognitive factors in the psychodynamic model?

  • Distorted perceptions of reality
  • Difficulty in processing information
  • Conflicting thoughts leading to paranoia
• Who proposed the psychodynamic explanation based on early experiences of schizophrenia?

  Fromm-Reichmann
• What characterizes 'schizophrenogenic' mothers according to Fromm-Reichmann?

  They are cold, rejecting, and controlling
• What does Bateson et al.'s double-bind theory suggest about children in dysfunctional families?

  Children receive conflicting messages about what is wrong, leading to confusion
• What are some limitations of psychological explanations for schizophrenia?

  • Evidence for family relationships is often retrospective
  • Evidence for family-based explanations is weak
  • Biological factors are sometimes overlooked
  • Direction of causality is unclear
• What is one strength of cognitive explanations for schizophrenia?

  Support for different information processing
• What should students focus on regarding psychological explanations for schizophrenia?

  • Focus on dysfunctional thought processing
  • Understand two explanations clearly rather than many superficially
• What is the mark allocation for explaining dysfunctional thought processing in relation to schizophrenia?

  3 marks
• How many marks are allocated for outlining two biological explanations for schizophrenia?

  3 marks
• How many marks are allocated for explaining one criticism of cognitive explanations for schizophrenia?

  4 marks
• How many marks are allocated for outlining and evaluating a family dysfunction as a psychological explanation for schizophrenia?

  16 marks
• What is the importance of understanding psychological explanations for schizophrenia?

  It helps in comprehending the complexities of the disorder
• How do psychological explanations for schizophrenia differ from biological explanations?

  Psychological explanations focus on mental processes and family dynamics, while biological explanations focus on genetic and neurochemical factors