Competing theories have long debated whether psychopathology is innate or acquired.

evaluate what psychologists have discovered about schizophrenia including a discussion on nature vs. nurture? Other theories apart from nature vs. nurture that have been debated include reductionism, reliability and validity. Nature is related to the biological makeup of an individual. Whereas nurture deals with the environment one is brought up in and how it influences and shapes ones personality and behavior. a reductionist approach is when all the results and findings of a study are reduced down to one factor. reliability refers to how consistent a measure is. It is the extent to which, when an experiment s repeated the results are similar. Validity refers to the degree to which a theory measures what it is supposed to measure. Different types of validity include internal validity, external validity etc. Quantitative data refers to data expressed in terms of numbers and statistics. Qualitative data provides in depth description and explanation of results or concepts. Schizophrenia is defined as a psychotic disorder, however it does not clearly state what causes it. Is it our innate qualities or do we learn to behave this way during the process of socialization. The symptoms that are related to schizophrenia are both a result of nature and nurture. Such as delusions and auditory hallucinations are uncontrollable and can't be learned, whereas occupational/social dysfunction can occur because of social factors. The DSM IV diagnosis of schizophrenia mostly consists of qualitative data through which the identification of symptoms has been made easier. Such as delusions hallucinations, disorganized speech etc. However, some quantitative data is also present such as the 3 phases that are present and that characteristic symptoms should be present for at least a month and the disturbances must persist for at least 6months. Because it looks at nature and nurture, it is holistic. It also looks at the duration the person has been suffering for to rule out any other possible diagnosis which also makes it high in validity. The symptoms required to be schizophrenic are the same for everyone and is standardized for all, this makes it very reliable. Also with every update of the DSM the symptoms of the disorder have been reviewed and revised to make an accurate diagnosis, thus making it high in reliability and validity. However, the diagnosis is very quantitative which questions the reliability of the study. Statistics about schizophrenia confirm that it affects men one and a half times more than women. This is further proved by Billiongton's study on systemizing and empathizing personalities. Where he discovered men are more systemizing and women more empathizing. this makes the statistics more reliable and valid. The types of schizophrenia are divided into 5 main categories. These categories with the exception of paranoid schizophrenia are very hard to distinguish. Also patients may change symptoms over time and may later display symptoms belonging to another category of schizophrenia. this makes diagnosis extremely difficult and reduces the validity of the diagnosis. The types are very holistic as symptoms are divided into a number of types. The types of schizophrenia are also more qualitative in nature because they are more subjective and yield in depth data.

Comment [q1]: Good! Always start off with the defintions.

The studies done by Gottesman and Shield in 1972 and 1991 both support the nature part of the debate. The results obtained by them showed high concordance rates in twins. However, this view was revoked by many researchers such as Modrow (1995) who stated that if genes were important than the concordance rate should be 100%. Showing that there does exist a nurture aspect to schizophrenia. this leaves questions in the reliability and validity of the genetic argument. The great support that the genetic studies have , such as similar results found by Heston (1970) increases the validity of the genetic model. However, since the environment is not taken into account the reliability is questioned. The validity is not high because of the criticisms raised on the genetic model by researchers such as Karon (1995) who argued about the environmental factors not being considered. the genetic model takes on a reductionist approach as it focuses just on genes as stated clearly by Gottesman and Shield. However, criticisms of the genetic model such as Lyton (1977) talked about the environment affecting a person and may be causing schizophrenia, which in turn makes the model a little holistic. The medical model also consists of the bio chemical model. A finding that supports the nature part of the debate is of Smythies (1976), who found traces of hallucinogenic chemicals in the CSF of schizophrenic patients. However, Modrow (1995) argued against this and stated that chemical changes are a result of schizophrenia as increased stress leads to a higher dopamine level. A cause and effect relationship doesnt really exist. Proving this and resulting in low validity is the fact that chlorpromazine makes little or no difference to 30% of schizophrenics and the reason is unknown. Also some hallucinogenic drugs produce symptoms that are indistinguishable from those reported by schizophrenics. This complicates diagnosis and reduces validity. The reliability is also questionable because of the uncertainty being present about whether the dopamine is the only cause of schizophrenia and the large presence of correlation. Also after chlorpromazine is consumed the dopamine levels reduce instantly whereas hallucinations take around 3 weeks to reduce. The dopamine hypothesis along with other symptoms is incredibly reductionist as it explains a very complex disease in terms of one chemical. It's criticism about the chlorpromazine suggests that there is more to schizophrenia than dopamine. The whole model is generally reductionist but because it looks at 2 factors that of genetic and biochemical makes it somewhat holistic. The family model highly favours the nurture debate as it mainly takes into consideration the influences and effects of the family towards each and every member with schizophrenic tendencies. The validity is comparatively high because every patient is precisely labeled after thorough research. Although, it is supported by several researchers such as Bateson (1956) its reliability becomes questionable because it assumes that emotional triggers make it difficult for schizophrenia to go away. The subjectivity of emotions are not applicable to all as individual differences exist. Bateson talked about sending contradictory information to children. Other studies such as this, done in the behavioral model, get the person to think back to childhood, making this model unreliable. This model yields largely qualitative data however, little evidence is present to prove this and so this model is open to several interpretations. It is also reductionist because it just looks at the family as the reason behind the development of schizophrenia, as genes may also be playing a role. However, because of the categorization it can be deemed holistic in nature.

The psychodynamic model involves the conflicts between the id, ego and superego as a result the individual is fixated to a psychosexual stage. This supports nature and nurture as Freud stated that we are born with our id, ego and superego, but what triggers it is an event in our life. This explanation is low in validity because schizophrenia bares little resemblance to child like behavior. The reliability is also very low because Freud used the case study of Hans to come up with this theory, also it is very subjective and cannot be quantified. It is also reductionist because a very complex disorder has been reduced to anxiety and regression. However, it I a little holistic because it takes into account a result of inter psychic conflicts such as id, ego, super ego, trauma and fixation. The cognitive explanation talks about how schizophrenics have an impaired theory of mind like autistics. Chris Firth (1992) suggested that as autism is genetic, so is schizophrenia, which supports the nature art of the debate. However, it can be argues that schizophrenics may have some effect of the environment as a person may not learn how to relate with others. The validity is low because it is just a theory of Chris Firth and there is not credible study on it. It is quite reliable because impaired theory of mind has already been studied by Baron Cohen. However, what is problematic is that not all patients have cognitive deficits hence, results may vary because of individual differences. It is qualitative because it looks at the lack of connection between the patient and his affective. However, Billiongton and Baron Cohen have showed through psychometric tests that the theory of mind can be quantitatively measured. The theory is reductionist because it looks at just the impaired theory of mind and not any other factors. The socio cultural explanation only supports the nurture side as it explains schizophrenia to be caused due to social labeling and stereo typing resulting in a self fulfilling prophecy as seen by the Rosenhan study hence, it is reductionist. Validity is low because there is no research done to prove their relation. It is reductionist as it only focuses on cultural and exposure to society. However, it is a little holistic as it accounts for multi cultural factors , social labeling and family dysfunction. The behavioral model explains abnormal behavior through operant conditioning and the principals of reinforcement. It supports the nurture part as it explains schizophrenic behavior as a result of unusual circumstances or due to inadequate role models, therefore, they fail to respond to social cues. The behavioral model is also very theoretical which makes it low in validity. Reliability is very low because it makes it hard to measure quantitatively the change in the persons behavior but it is not impossible to do so. The majority of the date collected is qualitative. It is reductionist because it focuses on just the learning techniques. There still is more emphasis on social and operant conditioning which makes it a little holistic. The biological treatment involves the us of anti psychotic drugs. It focuses on nature as these drugs reduce dopamine levels in the brain, while psychologists who believe there is a fault in the brain by birth may use ECT i.e. passing a small current through the brain to effect brain activity. This treatment is very effective and valid as it treats both positive and negative symptoms. It is the only treatment that can be joined with some other type of treatment. The biological treatment is very quantifiable making it highly reliable. However, the reliability can be questioned because not all causes are being addressed through it. Individual differences may also hinder with the reliability. It is also reductionist because it works by

Comment [q2]: Frith. Be VERY careful with your spellings.

blocking only the dopamine receptors. It does not look at any other cause of schizophrenia apart from dopamine. The biological treatment does not look at the causes but at just the symptoms which makes it reductionist in nature. It is only slightly holistic because it uses drugs and ECT. CBT focuses on changing the irrational beliefs of the patients into more rational ones. Sensky (2000) investigated the impact of social therapy and CBT and proved that CBT works effectively more than milieu therapy so its high on validity. CBT supports more of the nurture debate because it works on changing the thoughts of the individual . Since he used various quantitative measures such as CPRS (comprehensive psychopathological rating scale) which makes his research reliable. It is said to be reductionist as it focuses on challenging only the irrational beliefs. However, it can also be called holistic as it is effective in treating both negative as well as positive symptoms. Behavioral treatment focuses on changing the external behavior of schizophrenia. The study by Paul and Lentz (1977) compared token economy with routine hospital care and milieu therapy. It focuses on nurture as it aims to change behavior through rewards. However, it doesnt entirely ignore the nature aspect as the patients were still given their medication. Learning through positive reinforcement is a concept best explained through the nurture point of view however, it fails to consider other natural factors causing a change in behavior. This approach cannot do anything for hallucinations or delusions. The token economy lacks ecological validity. This poses the problem that it may not be effective once the patients are relieved form the hospitals. Their findings have resulted in further improving the validity of token economy. There was standardization in the study which increases reliability. However, reliability may be lowered in the Paul and lenz study because of the presence of staff attention. The behavioral treatment rules out any cognitive symptoms making it reductionist. Also token economy is only based on operant conditioning, hence giving rewards may not change the thinking but just their behavior. the theory on how the genetic susceptibility for schizophrenia combines with environmental stressors to result in a person developing schizophrenia is known as the diatheses stress model. Scientists agree that both nature an nurture have a significant role in the development of schizophrenia, but how exactly they interact or to what degree it is not completely understood.

Comment [q3]: Excellent 11/12