...Discuss biological explanations of schizophrenia AO1- (4 marks) Biological explanations of schizophrenia argue that the causes of schizophrenia and physiological rather than psychological. Evidence to support this comes from research into genetics, as well as biochemical factors. Firstly, genetic research has considered rates of schizophrenia found in biological relatives, monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ). This research includes family studies. Schizophrenia is more common among biological relatives with schizophrenia and the closer then family member e.g. a sister the greater the risk of developing schizophrenia. They found children with 2 schizophrenic parents have a concordance rate of 46% compared with children who have one schizophrenic parent, concordance rate is 13%. In addition, MZ twins have a higher concordance rate at 40.4% than DZ twins at 7.4% in terms of developing schizophrenia. Researchers have also tried to find twins separated at birth and at least one twin was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Gottesman and Shields found 58% of twins were concordant for schizophrenia. In contrast, more recent studies, using blind studies, have reported lower concordance rates for MZ twins. However, it is still arguing findings support the genetic inheritance of schizophrenia. Similarly, adopted children are looked at to test whether schizophrenia is an environmental influence or genetically inherited. They have been looking at children who were adopted and later...
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...Compare and contrast psychological and biological explanations of schizophrenia. Jessica F Smith University Of Sussex Schizophrenia has been termed a heterogeneous group of disorders with varied etiologies (Walker, Kestler, Bollini, & Hochman, 2004) which includes biological, social, cognitive and psychodynamic perspectives. To progress knowledge of schizophrenia, this essay focuses on how the biological and psychological explanations are independent and interdependent and how they may differentiate from one another. This includes: how our biological predisposition, neuro transmitter dysfunction and genetic inheritance, affects how people with schizophrenia respond to social environments, the importance of socio-economic factors and their ability to shape psychotic symptoms, and how people with schizophrenia have faulty cognitions, which arguably develop from social influence and upbringing. The overruling theory, that is important in explanations of schizophrenia, is known as the Diathesis Stress Model (Davey, 2011), which identifies that psychotic symptoms arise from a combination of both biological predisposition and environmental stress. Servan-Schreiber, Bruno, Carter, & Cohen, (1998) alleviate that dopamine is an important neurotransmitter with a function in regulating movement and guiding attention. The dopamine hypothesis suggests that the dysfunction of movement and attention in those with schizophrenia may be a result of excess dopamine due to an increase...
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...Discuss one or more biological and psychological explanation of schizophrenia (24) There appears to be a tendency for schizophrenia to run in families. This suggests that genes and biological factors play a role in the explanation of schizophrenia.. The closer the genetic relationship the more likely the people are to share the disorder. Evidence from family studies by Gottesman showed that when both parent are schizophrenic then there is a 46% chance of the child getting it, however, if only one parent had it, it dropped to 16% and dropped to a further 1% when the sibling of the child had schizophrenia. This suggests that a genetic factor is involved. Gottesman also looked at schizophrenics whose father had an identical twin. He found that there was a 17% of being schizophrenic when the father was but he also found that there was also 17% chance of developing the disease when the father’s twin had schizophrenia but the father didn’t. MZ twins share 100% of their genes; DZ twins share 50% of their genes. If genes are a factor we would expect more identical twins to share the disorder than non-identical. Rosenthal took a case study which had a set of female quadruplets. They all developed schizophrenia although the onset and symptoms were very different. This could have been a result of having a troubled upbringing. This suggests a strong heritable component. However, most first degree relatives and twins share the same or similar environments so it is difficult to separate...
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...“Defining psychopathology (abnormal behaviour) can be difficult when it comes to mental health. Identify, explain the clinical characteristics of ONE disorder, and evaluate one biological and one psychological explanation for the chosen disorder using research evidence.” This essay will define schizophrenia and evaluate one biological and one psychological explanation of the illness. According to Cardwell and Flanagan (2004) schizophrenia symptoms are divided into positive and negative symptoms. Cardwell and Flanagan (2004) states that the diagnostic criteria from DSM IVR (2000) identifies positive symptoms as delusions, experiences of control, auditory hallucinations and disorganised thinking. The negative symptoms are affective flattening, alogia and avolition. The essay will explain difficulties of defining abnormality before evaluating the explanations for the disorder. According to Eysenck (2012) one way of defining abnormality is deviation from social norms. Eysenck (2012) defines social norms as rules of what forms of behaviour and attitudes are acceptable within a society. Therefore behaviour that does not follow accepted social patterns is considered abnormal. According to Eysenck (2012), the social deviance approach gives too much importance to behaviour and not what is going on inside a person. An example would be that of a person suffering from major depressive disorder. The person tries hard to behave in a way acceptable to the public in spite of the fact...
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...Approaches Biological Theories According to the text, there are several biological theories of schizophrenia and evidence indicates genetic transmission, although genetics does not fully explain who develops this disorder. Secondly, some patients show structural and functional abnormalities in specific areas of the brain, which may contribute to the disorder. Thirdly, many people with schizophrenia have a history of birth complications or prenatal exposure to viruses, which may affect brain development. Then fourthly, neurotransmitter theories hold that excess levels of dopamine contribute to schizophrenia. There are Genetic Contributors to Schizophrenia such as Family, Twin, Adoption studies that have all indicated the presence of a genetic component to the transmission of Schizophrenia. Scientists believe that different genes are responsible for different symptoms of the disorder. Studies have also found that there are Structural and Functional Brain Abnormalities related to Schizophrenia. Scientists have long believed that the brains of those with this disorder differ from those who do not have it. Scans such as PETs, CAT scans, and MRIs are some of the technological ways of determining this fact. As mentioned in another module 7 assignment, Birth Complications are corresponded with those who have Schizophrenia along with Prenatal Viral Exposure. Psychosocial Perspectives Social Drift and Urban Birth have had studies that supposedly link them with Schizophrenia. Studies...
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...PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA To read up on biological explanations of schizophrenia, refer to pages 397–408 of Eysenck’s A2 Level Psychology. Ask yourself * How would the psychodynamic approach explain schizophrenia? * How would the behavioural approach explain schizophrenia? * How would the cognitive approach explain schizophrenia? What you need to know PSYCHODYNAMIC EXPLANATION | COGNITIVE EXPLANATIONS | SOCIO-CULTURAL EXPLANATIONS | * Freud’s explanation of the factors involved in the development of schizophrenia | * Based on the assumption that cognitive impairments play a role in the development and maintenance of schizophrenia | * Life events * Interpersonal communication within families * Social causation hypothesis | Psychodynamic explanation According to the psychodynamic approach, abnormality is caused when trauma from unresolved conflict between the id, ego, and superego is repressed into the unconscious and this causes regression to an earlier stage of psychosexual development. (see A2 Level Psychology pages 397–399 for a more detailed review of the psychosexual stages and fixation and regression). Fixation and regression mean that the ego is not fully developed and so the individual may be dominated by the id or the superego, and because the ego is weak the individual will lack a sound basis in reality. The psychodynamic explanation suggests most schizophrenics experienced very harsh childhood environments...
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...This can be used because the biological theory suggests that stress on the body caused by some factor can be the cause of a crime. It also suggests that a person may have had a genetic predisposition to commit the crime and happened to be in a circumstance that triggers the actual crime. This will explain why Nesby thought that her drink caused her to commit the crime however it does not explain why she told the bystander that “they were trying to kill her.” In order to explain this, another theory is needed. The one that best explains this is the psychological theory it suggests that Nesby could have late-onset schizophrenia. Late-onset schizophrenia is a condition that causes the patient to have “more aggressive positive symptoms, extending to olfactory and tactile hallucinations as well as auditory and visual hallucinations and delusions are quite common. (These) individuals start to experience symptoms of schizophrenia after their 40s.” In Nesby’s case, late-onset schizophrenia could explain why she killed the 71 year old lady and why she carjacked two cars. Her hallucinations caused by schizophrenia could have been that of “someone” trying to kill her, one of those people being the 71 year old...
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...Name: Donna Marie Brown (Donnabrown119) Unit 9: Final Project: You Are a Forensic Psychologist Kaplan University Donna Brown119 Monday, November 23, 2015 Deviant behavior is any behavior that is contrary to the dominant norms of society. There are many different theories on what causes a person to perform deviant behavior, including biological explanations, psychological explanations, and sociological explanations. Numerous theories have been established to explain criminal behavior. While some theories are not as common, others have evolved and are used in many criminal studies today. Up-to-date criminologists combine the most relevant characteristics of sociology, psychology, biological, and social-psychological to advance their understanding of criminal behavior. Professionals in this field study factors that contribute to criminal activities, make relevant policy recommendations and draw conclusions based on those assessments. (Varying Theories on Crime, 2015) Several theories attempt to explain criminal behavior. Most theories assume: * Crime is part of human nature. * Crime is based on biological, psychological, and/or economic aspects. One of the earliest approaches to explaining the causes of crime was the classical theory, which is defined as a product of the Enlightenment, based on the assumption that people exercise free will and are consequently completely responsible for their actions. In the classical theory, human behavior, including...
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...The biological approach states that psychological disorders are physical illnesses, and that the cause may be one or more of the following: brain injury, infection, neurotransmitters or genetics. Accidental brain damage can lead to psychological disorders. Some examples are, a degeneration or malformation of brain cells can cause memory loss often present in Alzheimer’s disease. Korsakoff’s syndrome occurs when alcohol and drugs damage part of the brain involved with memory. We are familiar with the idea that bacteria or viruses causing physical illnesses, e.g. flu or meningitis, however it seems that infection can also cause mental illnesses. For example, influenza has been linked to schizophrenia. Torrey found that the mothers of schizophrenic people had contacted a particular strain of influenza during pregnancy. The virus may enter the unborn child’s brain where it is dormant until puberty, when other hormones activate it, producing schizophrenic symptoms. Neurotransmitters are thought to be out of balance in the nervous systems id individuals with certain psychological disorders/ mental illnesses. Depression has been associated with decrease availability of serotonin, and has also been associated with higher than normal levels of the cortisol hormone. Images of the brain have measured the action of neurotransmitters and associated illness like depression, (Mann et al. 1996). Important new genetic research has highlighted the possibility that some people may be genetically...
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...To what extent is it possible to explain Schizophrenia from a biological perspective? Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder. It is a disease that makes it extremely difficult for a person to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses to others, and to behave normally in social situations. People with schizophrenia may also have difficulty in talking, remembering and behaving appropriately. Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder that affects the cognitive functions of an individual. The cause of this illness to this day is still unknown, but there are several theories of how an individual may get schizophrenia. Because there are so many symptoms of the disease and because the symptoms can vary quite significantly among several individuals and even within the same individual over time, the diagnosis of schizophrenia can be quite difficult. Schizophrenia is sometimes seen as a functional disorder with professionals often referring to it as a sociological phenomenon, meaning patients with schizophrenia are normal people driven insane by the insane world (Gelder, et al., 1989). However, with many years and numerous advances in genetics/brain imaging, molecular biology and neuroscience over the years, evidence has been found for the biological bases underlying schizophrenia. There have been quite a few theories of possible causes. Firstly, a...
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...SHCIZOPHRENIA BY: ANNALINA RIVERS SCHIZOPHRENIA Schizophrenia is a mental illness that usually strikes in late adolescence or early adulthood but can also strike at any time in life. The signs and symptoms are always different from one individual to the next. All those who have the disorder show one or more of the following symptoms delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behavior, and negative symptoms. People with schizophrenia suffer a decline in their level of functioning. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that can be overwhelming, complicating and can only get worse. Schizophrenia usually appears during a persons late teens and mid 30’s but its course differs with each patient. Some may go through three phases prodromal which means that symptoms are there but not yet obvious. What often happens during the prodromal stage they’ll start to withdrawal from others, have strange ideas, and some may not express much emotion? During the active phase they can have negative symptoms, start blurting emotions out but some patients may recover from schizophrenia. The phases may or may not last for days some even years, those who do recover from schizophrenia are those who have been ok, being able to function really good before getting the disorder or those who were diagnosed due to stress. When it comes to race and diagnosis of schizophrenia there is a biases as far as who has it. The prevalence rates of schizophrenia really depend on a range of factors, such as the availability...
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...One biological explanation for schizophrenia is genetics. This theory suggests that a person’s genetic makeup determines whether they develop schizophrenia or not. One way of testing this theory is using twin studies. This works on the principle that twins share more genetic material than ordinary people (MZ share 100% and DZ twins share 50%). These studies are conducted using one twin who has already developed schizophrenia, and predicting how likely the other twin is to develop it. One of these studies was conducted by Rosenthal. He studied 16 pairs of MZ twins that were brought up apart; one out of each pair had schizophrenia. He found that 10 out of16 of the co-twins developed the disorder. This is known as a concordance rate. Rosenthal’s study had a high concordance rate with 62.5%. This suggests that genetics are involved in the development of schizophrenia. Although Rosenthal’s sample was small, it was extremely specific. It allowed him to study the relative effects of nature and nurture by eliminating the influence of nurture (as the twins were brought up apart, concordance was solely due to genetics). Another twin study was conducted by Gottesman. This was a meta-analysis of over 40 studies. Gottesman found a concordance rate of 48% between MZ twins. This also suggests that genetics are involved in the development and maintenance of schizophrenia. Although the fact that it was a meta-analysis means that the sample was large and therefore valid, the meta-analysis...
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...Lesson on Schizophrenia As an overview, schizophrenia is a disease to the brain. It is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man. It has been misunderstood for a long time. It has a biological basis, so it is like other diseases. It is a very common disease; one percent to one and a half percent of the U.S. has been diagnosed within some point in their life. There is no cure for this disease, although there is treatable medicine. Schizophrenia is not a multiple personality disorder. People who take medicine for it are able to lead normal fulfilling lives. There are two ways that schizophrenia begins. One way is called Acute Onset. This happens very fast, about a couple of weeks. It is easier to recover from this. You are able to get help faster because people notice it sooner. The other way is called Process Onset. This takes a longer period of time to show. It is gradual, sometimes up to years. You may say or do strange things every now and then. It could be a long time before you go to the doctor. There are three main types of delusions a person can have. Delusion of Persecution is when the person thinks that people are out to get him or her. For example the government. Grandeur is when the person thinks he or she is very important, rich, famous, ect. Reference is when the person thinks that the TV is talking directly to him or her. They also think some outside source is talking to them. Schizophrenia has three main...
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...Discuss two or more definitions of abnormality (12 marks) One definition of abnormality is “deviation from social norms” and under this definition a person’s thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it violates the unwritten rules about what is expected or acceptable behaviour in a particular social group. Behaviour may be incomprehensible to others or make others feel threatened or uncomfortable. For example, someone would be classified as being abnormal if they laughed at a funeral, as this is socially unacceptable. A weakness of this definition is that it lacks cultural relativity as social behaviour varies when different cultures are compared. For e.g. it’s common in south Europe to stand much closer to strangers than in the UK. As well as this voice pitch and volume, touching, directions of gaze and acceptable subjects for discussion have all been found to vary between cultures. This means what is considered deviant or abnormal varies considerably across cultures, thus weakening this definition. Another limitation of deviation from social norms is that it lacks time validity. This is because social norms change over time; behaviour that was once seen as abnormal may be acceptable and vice versa. For example, drink driving was once considered acceptable but is now seen as socially unacceptable whereas homosexuality has changed the other way. Until 1980 homosexuality was considered a psychological disorder but is considered acceptable today. This is a weakness...
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...Discuss two or more definitions of abnormality (12 marks) One definition of abnormality is “deviation from social norms” and under this definition a person’s thinking or behaviour is classified as abnormal if it violates the unwritten rules about what is expected or acceptable behaviour in a particular social group. Behaviour may be incomprehensible to others or make others feel threatened or uncomfortable. For example, someone would be classified as being abnormal if they laughed at a funeral, as this is socially unacceptable. A weakness of this definition is that it lacks cultural relativity as social behaviour varies when different cultures are compared. For e.g. it’s common in south Europe to stand much closer to strangers than in the UK. As well as this voice pitch and volume, touching, directions of gaze and acceptable subjects for discussion have all been found to vary between cultures. This means what is considered deviant or abnormal varies considerably across cultures, thus weakening this definition. Another limitation of deviation from social norms is that it lacks time validity. This is because social norms change over time; behaviour that was once seen as abnormal may be acceptable and vice versa. For example, drink driving was once considered acceptable but is now seen as socially unacceptable whereas homosexuality has changed the other way. Until 1980 homosexuality was considered a psychological disorder but is considered acceptable today. This is a weakness because...
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