Psychological explanations for schizophrenia: cognitive
explanations
The cognitive approach is concerned with internal mental processes.
It is assumed that these informational processes, the way we think, interpret and perceive
ourselves and our environment ca be faulty or biased.
The anomalous experience model (Maher 1974)
This theory proposed that delusions are an adaptive and rational response to
abnormal internal events such as hallucinations
The five-factor model
Slade & Bentall 1988 have proposed a five factor theory which they claim,
explains the onset of such schizophrenia-type symptoms
Inability to monitor own thoughts
Schizophrenia is characterised by disturbances in language, attention, thought
and perception
Firth 1992 suggested that schizophrenics fail to monitor their own thoughts,
misattributing them to someone or something in the outside world
communicating with them
What does that mean?
When a person hears voices, it is actually their own inner speech being
misinterpreted
Alien control symptoms
Such as processing problems in people with schizophrenia are sometimes
referred to as alien control symptoms, because the sufferer feels as it external
forces are influencing their thoughts and actions
explanations
The cognitive approach is concerned with internal mental processes.
It is assumed that these informational processes, the way we think, interpret and perceive
ourselves and our environment ca be faulty or biased.
The anomalous experience model (Maher 1974)
This theory proposed that delusions are an adaptive and rational response to
abnormal internal events such as hallucinations
The five-factor model
Slade & Bentall 1988 have proposed a five factor theory which they claim,
explains the onset of such schizophrenia-type symptoms
Inability to monitor own thoughts
Schizophrenia is characterised by disturbances in language, attention, thought
and perception
Firth 1992 suggested that schizophrenics fail to monitor their own thoughts,
misattributing them to someone or something in the outside world
communicating with them
What does that mean?
When a person hears voices, it is actually their own inner speech being
misinterpreted
Alien control symptoms
Such as processing problems in people with schizophrenia are sometimes
referred to as alien control symptoms, because the sufferer feels as it external
forces are influencing their thoughts and actions
