Family dysfunction

• Schizophrenogenic mothers (mothers who cause schizophrenia). 


  These mothers are cold, rejecting and controlling. They create family tension which encourages secrecy.

  This leads to distrust and paranoid delusions and SZ.
• Double-bind theory

  A child that's regularly trapped in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing, but receive conflicting messages about what counts as wrong.

  When they "get it wrong" the child is punished by withdrawal of love.

  This confusion leads to disorganised thinking and delusions.
• Expressed emotion (E.E)

  E.E is the level of negative emotions that are expressed through verbal criticisms (toward the person with SZ), hostility towards them, and over-involvement in their life.

  High levels of E.E cause stress to the person and trigger SZ relapse.
• AO3 - Family dysfunction

  Strength) Research reviews show that adults with SZ are more likely to have had an insecure attachment. Also, 69% of women and 59% of men with SZ have a history of physical and/or sexual abuse.

  -> strongly suggests that family dysfunction makes people more vulnerable to SZ.
• AO3 - Family dysfunction

  Limitation) There is no evidence to support family-based theories (e.g. schizophrenogenic mother & double-bind). Both theories are based on clinical observations and informal assessments of their mother's personalities.

  -> suggests that family explanations haven't been able to explain the link between childhood trauma and SZ.