Interaction of human culture and environmentIn the mid-1970s and early 1980s, the field of clinical psychology underwent a revolution with the emergence family therapy. Therapists initially understood that disorders were the result of a linear chain of causality. For example, 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 have often been found to be particularly cold, insensitive, controlling and conflicted towards their children. Researchers argued that such "schizophrenogenic" behavior was the direct cause of the disorder. Successful treatment therefore required that the patient and mother examine their relationship and seek better and more positive methods of interaction. Family therapists, however, began to realize that the etiology of the disorder was much more complex than simply the mother inducing the disorder. disorder in children. The schizophrenic and the mother were involved in a complex system of interactions both within and 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 a global impact on all members of the family. . Family systems researchers realized that these different relationships were constantly evolving and that each had a significant effect on the others. Problems within the family were now understood in terms of circular rather than linear causality. For example, it could very well be that the schizophrenic's mother is cold, confrontational and insensitive towards him. It is also true, however, that the schizophrenic exhibits very bizarre behaviors, such as hearing voices, acting on paranoid impulses, having hallucinations, and displaying inappropriate (or flat) emotional responses. These behaviors would certainly affect the mother, as she would be stressed and deeply concerned about her child's well-being. The mother may also be affected by a strained marital relationship with her husband, who herself may be negatively affected by the child's schizophrenic behavior. Finally, the family may be negatively affected by the society in which they live, as their neighbors or colleagues may view them as outcasts and intentionally isolate them due to their child's inappropriate behavior. Ultimately, this series of negative interactions can result in a feedback loop in which the maladaptive behavior is amplified and the child's schizophrenic behavior worsens...