EXPRESSED EMOTION, ATTRIBUTIONS, AND SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOM DIMENSIONS

Using a sample of 40 Angle American family members of schizophrenic pa tients, the present study replicates and lends cross-cultural support for an attribution-affect model of expressed emotion (EE). Consistent with attribution theory, the authors found that highly critical relati ves (high-EE) viewed the illness and associated symptoms as residing m ore within the patient's personal control as compared with less critic al relatives (low-EE). A content analysis classified the types of beha viors and symptoms most frequently criticized by relatives. Symptoms r eflecting behavioral deficits (e.g., poor hygiene) were found to be cr iticized more often than symptoms reflecting behavioral excesses (e.g. , hallucinations). In line with an attribution-affect framework, relat ives may be less tolerant of behavioral deficits because they are view ed as intentional, whereas behavioral excesses are easily recognized a s core symptoms of mental illness.