[Behavioral concepts for the etiology of schizophrenia]

Schizophrenic disorders are a relatively common and severe psychiatric disorder. Extensive research efforts during the last two decades could show that the course and outcome of the disorder will be determined by a number of biological, psychological and social factors. The vulnerability-stress-coping-competence-model as a tentative heuristic framework integrates the different factors which contribute to the understanding of the disorder. In this model psychological factors play an important role. Some of these factors are subject of this paper: expressed emotions and the cognitive understanding and treatment of delusions and hallucinations.