Family dysfunction

• Family dysfunction theories:


  The family theories have their origins in psychodynamic psychology.

  There are three family theories:

  1. The double bind theory - Bateson 1950
  2. The 'expressed emotion' theory - Brown 1966
  3. The schizophregenic mother theory
• The Double Bind theory


  • 'Double binds' are conflicting statements - mutually contradictory statements that leave a person unsure how to respond and behave thus creates confusion.
  • Growing up around continual contradictory information could lead to learned patterns of confusion in thinking and communication: it causes a state of internal conflict resulting in schizophrenia like symptoms such as speech poverty or hallucinations.
• The Expressed Emotions theory


  • High expressed emotion families (high-EE) are those where family interactions tend to include: verbal criticism accompanied by anger and violence, hostility and emotional over involvement or over concern.
• The Expressed Emotions theory


  • These high levels of expressed emotions are a cause of serious stress levels and thus is the primary explanation for relapse.
  • These high stress levels are also thought to trigger the onset of schizophrenia in a person who is already genetically vulnerable
• The schizophregenic mother explanation:


  • Fromm-Reichmann theory denotes that mothers who are cold, rejecting, controlling and smothering tend to create a tense family dynamic causing the child to develop paranoid delusions and ultimately schizophrenia
• Evaluation of Family Dysfunction Theories:


  Research support

  • Brown 1959 found that men release from mental hospitals were more likely to relapse if they stayed with their parents and wife than if they stayed in a lodge, this is due to their suffocating close relationship with their wife or mother.
• Evaluation of Family Dysfunction Theories:

  Research support

  • Vaughn and Leff 1976 found much higher rates of relapse in patients who were released from mental hospitals to homes classifies as high-EE compared to low-EE.
  • 51% vs 13% in relapse statistics.
• Evaluation of Family Dysfunction Theories:

  Real world applications

  • Both the Brown 1959 and Vaughn/Leff 1976 studies support the idea of the creation of provisions of services such as day centres and treatment hubs for patients recently released from hospitals.
• Evaluation of Family Dysfunction Theories:

  Social sensitivity

  • All three family dysfunction theories are angled towards females actions and behaviours creating a family blame game.
  • This might in turn worsen the expressed emotions or double binds or schizophregenic mother traits. Additioanlly, it can make the parents feel guilty and hopeless about their actions, worsening the family relations.
• Evaluation of Family Dysfunction Theories:

  Real world applications:

  • Family dysfunction can be address in therapy through family therapy sessions where all members of the family can learn more effective methods of communication and care towards one and other thus reducing high EE.
• Evaluation of Family Dysfunction Theories:


  Unfalsifiable

  • There is no evidence to support the mechanisms of the schizophregenic and double bind theories, because these theories are rooted in the psychodynamic approach theories such as the role of the unconscious, it is practically unfalsifiable.