Interaction of Human Culture and the Environment

Interaction of Human Culture and the Environment

In the mid 1970's and early 1980's, the field of clinical psychology underwent a revolution with the emergence of family therapy. Therapists initially understood disorders as being the result of a linear chain of causality. For instance, one theory of schizophrenia held that the disorder resulted from exposure to a certain pattern of behavior on the part of the patient's mother. Mothers of schizophrenics were often found to be particularly cold, unresponsive, dominant, and conflict-inducing towards their children. Researchers argued that such "schizophrenogenic" behavior was the direct cause of the disorder. Successful treatment, then, required the patient and mother to examine their relationship and seek out better, more positive methods of interaction.

Family therapists, however, then began to realize that the etiology of the disorder was far more complex than simply the mother inducing the disorder within the child. The schizophrenic and the mother were enmeshed within a complex system of interactions both within, as well as outside, the family. Thus, the schizophrenic was affected by both his mother and father, the schizophrenic himself had an impact on his parents, the father and mother affected each other through their marital relationship, and social and cultural norms had an overall impact on all members of the family. Family systems researchers realized that these various relationships were constantly changing, and that each one had a significant effect on the others. Problems within the family were now understood in terms of circular causality rather than linear. For instance, it might very well be true that the schizophrenic's mother is cold, conflict-inducing, and unresponsive towards him. It is also true, however, that the schizophrenic manifests very bizarre behavior, such as hearing voices, acting on paranoid impulses, hallucinating, and displaying inappropriate (or flat) emotional responses. These behaviors would certainly affect the mother, as she would be stressed and deeply concerned for her child's well being. The mother might also be affected by a strained marital relationship with her husband, which itself might be negatively impacted by the child's schizophrenic behavior. Finally, the family might be negatively affected by the society in which they live, as their neighbors or colleagues might view them as outcasts and purposely isolate them because of their child's inappropriate behavior. Ultimately, this series of negative interactions may result in a feedback loop, in which maladaptive behavior is amplified and the child's schizophrenic behavior worsens.