Psychodynamic explanations for schizophrenia

Explain the theory of the schizophrenogenic mother

• Schizophrenogenic mother is: cold, rejecting, uncaring

• She creates a family environment that’s tense and secretive

• She creates distrust that leads to paranoid delusions

Explain the double bind theory of schizophrenia

• child receives mixed messages that are hard to interpret

• This leads them to view the world as confusing and dangerous → disorganised thinking

• So they become distrustful → paranoid delusions

State the evidence for psychodynamic explanations of schizophrenia

Reports from case studies of SZ patients about their childhood

Explain the problem of small sample size in relation to the evidence for psychodynamic explanations of schizophrenia

• case studies aren’t generalisable

• Unrepresentative evidence base

Explain the problem of subjectivity in relation to the evidence for psychodynamic explanations of schizophrenia

• interviews can be conducted / interpreted to get supporting results

• (Subjective interpretation / bias)