Debunking Myths and Shifting Paradigms

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychological condition characterized by delusions and hallucinations…you’ll learn more about schizophrenia and other disorders in this module.

The “Schizophrenogenic Mother” Theory

In the mid-20th century, the prevailing belief among psychiatrists was that poor parenting, particularly by mothers, was the root cause of schizophrenia. This view emerged from observations that families of individuals with schizophrenia often seemed stressed and disorganized. Freda Fromm-Reichman, a noted psychiatrist, even coined the term “schizophrenogenic mother” to describe a mother whose actions supposedly led her child into the realm of schizophrenia.^[1] These mothers had two particularly important characteristics: first, they dominated and overprotected their children while, second, at the same time they emotionally rejected the children.

The Flaws in the Theory

Unfortunately, this theory was deeply flawed. The primary evidence came from informal interviews and hospital records, both biased by the prevailing opinion that mothers were the culprits. The devastating impact? Countless parents were wrongly blamed for their children’s mental conditions, further stigmatizing the families involved.

This is more than the story of an incorrect theory. Thousands of parents were told by their children’s doctors that they were the cause of their children’s psychological problems. They were told that they had emotionally abused their children. And when they were confused or doubtful, they were told by the “experts” that they were in denial, failing to see their own terrible role in “ruining” their children’s lives.

Subsequent research debunked the notion that dysfunctional families or “schizophrenogenic mothers” were to blame for schizophrenia. For instance, studies involving adopted children of schizophrenic mothers revealed that these children had similar rates of schizophrenia, regardless of their adoptive families. This led to a growing consensus around the biological basis of the disorder, as opposed to blaming it on child-rearing practices.

Beyond Schizophrenia: The Misguided Theories on Autism

Sadly, schizophrenia was not the only disorder that was blamed on bad parenting. Childhood autism was also blamed on the family and predominantly on the mother. The autism theory referred to the “refrigerator mother,” suggesting that she was so emotionally cold and unapproachable that the child withdrew from normal reality and turned inward to an imagined world. Again, this has been shown to be an entirely misguided theory of autism.

Psychotherapy is guided by the beliefs of the therapist about the nature of the problem. If the therapist believes that the parents are emotionally destructive, then therapy will be directed to protect the child from the parents. Later therapies, after the demise of theories of schizophrenogenic mothers and refrigerator mothers, have enlisted the parents and other family members as part of the treatment, training them to become effective contributors to the treatment process.

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