Family systems theory

• The family systems theory is said to be the result of a schizophrenic mother and double bind and increased vulnerability to relapse comes from expressed emotion.
• Fromm-Reichman proposed the theory of the schizophregenic mother and how patients who have cold, rejecting, controlling mothers end up with a family climate of tension and secrecy.

  This then leads to distrust and that can lead to paranoid delusions.
• Bateson proposed the double bind concept which suggests that when a child gets mixed messages from their parents, this causes confusion and a child feels trapped from fear of doing the wrong thing.

  The children can't seek clarification and so become even more confused which can cause dangerous, disorganised thinking which can lead to paranoid delusions or even psychosis.
• The concept of expressed emotion is the idea that increased verbal criticism accompanied by occasional violence, hostility and emotional involvement causes serious stress which can increase a patient's vulnerability for relapse.
• AO3

  :)

  Research to support the family systems theory comes from Morkved et al.

  They found that 67 % of schizophrenic patients reported family trauma vs 38 % of non Sz.

  This suggests that family dysfunction and childhood trauma leads to an increased vulnerability in the development of schizophrenia and therefore increases the validity of the family systems theory.
• AO3

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  However, there are limitations to research supporting the family systems theory as it may not always be possible to distinguish between cause and effect.

  For example, if a parent has high levels of expressed emotion towards their child, does this mean they caused the schizophrenia or did the schizophrenia make them act like that?

  Therefore you can't confidently and definitively suggest that there is any cause and effect with the family systems theory and this reduces its validity.
• AO3

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  However, the family systems theory has been said to be a socially sensitive explanation.

  This is because it blames the parent's behaviours, specifically the mother's, painting her child rearing in a negative light stating it causes high levels of paranoia and distrust.

  This then can lead to psychological harm where the mother feels pathologised and this can lead to her creating a protective complex by which her whole life revolves around raising her child in 'bubble wrap' which in turn could lead to developmental issues for the child.
• AO3

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  Another limitation of the family systems theory is it lacks empirical evidence.

  This is because there is no evidence to support the schizophregenic mother or the double bind.

  Also it is based on histories which can't be traced back and it relies on the patient's memory in anxious scenarios which Johnson and Scott proved reduces validity of eye witness testimony.

  Therefore you can't establish any empirical support based on the methodology which means the theory lacks validity.