Psychological

• Family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia

  Hostile communication and maladaptive relationships within a family can act as stressors that may lead to the development of schizophrenia
• Double bind theory


  1. Parents give contradictory messages

  2. Individual shows social withdrawal to escape the uncomfortable situation

  3. This in turn may act as a stressor leading to the development of schizophrenia

  4. These interactions prevent the development of an internally coherent construction of reality
• Families that are consistently hostile

  • Have a negative influence on the individual causing a reduction in emotional expression
  • This is more significant in relapsing individuals who may have returned to a hostile family after recovery
• Tienari et al study


  • Children with schizophrenic biological mothers were 31% more likely to develop schizophrenia when adopted into dysfunctional families compared to functional ones
  • Supports the influence of family relationships on the development of schizophrenia
  • Biological vulnerability increases the effects of environmental stressors on the development of schizophrenia
• Family dysfunction explanation


  Cannot be a full explanation for schizophrenia as some individuals grow up in healthy families and still develop schizophrenia
• Family dysfunction explanation


  • Has been criticised for being reductionist as it ignores the influence of genetic/biological factors on aggression e.g abnormal levels of dopamine
  • Instead it places all blame on the parents and the home environment, thus reducing the complex disorder to just one explanation