Family dysfunction:

• The schizophrenogenic mother


  Psychiatrist Frieda proposed a psychodynamic explanation for schizophrenia based on the accounts she heard from her patients about their childhoods

  • Noted that many of her patients spoke of a particular type of parent, which she called the schizophrenogenic mother
  • 'Schizophrenogenic' literally means schizophrenia-causing: is cold, rejecting and controlling, and tends to create a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy
  • Leads to distrust that later develops into paranoid delusions and ultimately schizophrenia
• Double-bind theory

  Bateson et al agreed that family climate is important in the development of schizo but emphasised the role of communication style within a family

  • Developing child regularly finds themselves trapped in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing but receive mixed messages about what this is, and feel unable to comment on the unfairness of this situation
  • When they 'get it wrong' the child is punished by withdrawal of love
  • Leaves them with an understanding of the world as confusing and this is reflected in symptoms like disorganised thinking
• Expressed emotion


  Level of emotion, in particular negative emotion, expressed towards a person with schizophrenia by their carers who are often family members. EE contains several elements:

  • Verbal criticism of the person, occasionally accompanied by violence.
  • Hostility towards the person, including anger and rejection.
  • Emotional overinvolvement in the life of the person, including needless self-sacrifice.
• Expressed emotion:


  These high levels of expressed emotion directed towards the individual are a serious source of stress for them

  This is primarily an explanation for relapse in people with schizo

  Been suggested that it may be a source of stress that can trigger the onset of schizophrenia in a person who is already vulnerable, for example, due to their genetic make-up