Schizophrenia - Individual differences explanation 1: Psychodynamic approach

Question 1

Psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

• Fixation
• Regression
• Losing touch with reality
• Schizophrenogenic mother

Question 2

Fixation

Answer 2

• If the libido’s urges aren’t satistified during the oral stage of psychosexual development they may become fixated - receieves too much or too little oral stimulation
• Freud proposed individuals with schizophrenia become fixated during the first one to two months of oral stage

Question 3

Regression

Answer 3

• As an adult if the individual experiences excessive amounts of stress they may regress back to the oral stage.
• Regression is an ego defence mechanism - causes the ego to retreat back to earlier stage. - temporary or long term

Question 4

Losing touch with reality

Answer 4

• During the oral stage the ego isn’t well devloped.
• Role of the ego is to control the id’s impulses and balance the demands of the id with the moral limitations imposed by the superego.
• If an individual regresses back to when the ego doesn’t exist, nothing stops the id.
• Symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations, delusions) represent the unchecked activitied of the id.

Question 5

Schizophrenogenic mother

Answer 5

• mother-child relationship considered to be one of the crucial factors in the development of schizophrenia
• Fromm-Reichmann - proposes the concept that the mothers of individuals with schizophrenia are overprotective, controlling, and at the same time, rejecting, distant.
• This leaves a child/individual who is very vulnerable when faced with stress.

Question 6

Evaluation

Answer 6

• Freudian concepts are out of date
• Failure to produce an effective treatment
• Inconsistent support for schizophrenogenic mothers
• Overlooks the role of genetics

Question 7

Evaluate - Freudian concepts are out of date

Answer 7

• Psychodynamic approach has difficulty producing testable hypotheses and difficult to falsify.
• Unscientific
• The explanations it offers for disorders are only viewed as something historical
• Cannot demonstrate the existence of the concepts such as id, ego, superego.
• Freud - “It remains for the future to decide whether there is more delusion in my theory than I should like to admit.”

Question 8

Evaluate - Failure to produce an effective treatment

Answer 8

• Freud believed that individuals with schizophrenia weren’t suitable candidates for psychoanalysis as they lacked insight necessary for the talking treatment
• Rosen - proposed that it could be treated with psychoanalytical techniques
• Strupp et al - psychoanalytic therapies can lead to deleterious and harmful effects - as it requires patient to experience memories that they are emotionally incapable of dealing with, distressing
• No effective treatments

Question 9

Inconsistent support for the schizophrenogenic mother

Answer 9

• A popular concept from the 1940-70s
• Jacob Kasanin et al - examined hospital records found evidence of maternal overprotection in 33 out of 45 cases of scz, weak evidence,

Question 10

Overlooks role of genetics

Answer 10

• Approach suggests that the development of schizophrenia is a result of early experiences - strong evidence of biological factors as the cause of schizophrenia.
• Heston - 47 individuals adoptees with biological mother suffering from scz, 50 biological mother had not. 10.6% of those with scz mothers also had diagnosis, 0% mother didn’t have scz. - could be down to genes rather than upbringing.