Deck 11: Family Therapy Irene Goldenberg and Mark Stanton

Question 1

An alcoholic husband maintains an authoritative manner with his wife and children, while the wife acts as if nothing is wrong. This scenario illustrates

A) pseudohostility.
B) scapegoating.
C) marital schism.
D) marital skew.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Rigid boundaries that permit limited emotional contact between members characterize families that are

A) open.
B) disengaged.
C) relational.
D) enmeshed.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In family therapy, the term "identified patient" conveys that

A) one member of the family typically creates the unit's discord.
B) family meetings are used to convince individual members to seek help.
C) a symptomatic family member expresses family dysfunction.
D) family therapy should focus on identifying the problems of each individual.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In systems terms, family boundaries yield systems that

A) are defined as either open or closed.
B) represent flexibility or insularity.
C) exist along an open/closed continuum.
D) refer to visible lines separating subsystems.

Question 5

Assuming a child's tantrum occurs because parents reinforced the behavior would be consistent with which of the theoretical orientation?

A) Psychoanalytic
B) Behavioral
C) Person-centered
D) Family systems

Question 6

Family therapists shift the locus of pathology from individuals to

A) parents.
B) sociocultural norms.
C) biological predispositions.
D) family systems.

Question 7

The family therapy approach most likely to focus on the multigenerational transmission of problems and each family member's ability to differentiate is

A) object relations.
B) experiential.
C) structural.
D) transgenerational.

Question 8

A parent tells a child "I love spending time with you" while appearing annoyed. This is an example of

A) redundancy principle.
B) pseudomutuality.
C) pseudohostility.
D) double-bind communication.

Question 9

Rather than providing an objective view regarding a conflict, a family therapist asks questions of each family member to obtain their perspective. This approach would be described as

A) reframing.
B) cognitive restructuring.
C) circular questioning.
D) the miracle question.

Question 10

A family is encouraged to tell the "family story" with hope that a new family story can be developed to facilitate change. Which of the following therapy approaches is being used?

A) Strategic
B) Social constructionist
C) Structural
D) Cognitive-behavioral

Question 11

A couple escalates an argument regardless of the consequences. This is an example of

A) linear causality.
B) negative feedback.
C) homeostasis.
D) positive feedback.

Question 12

The primary conceptual difference between family systems approaches and Adlerian psychotherapy is the Adlerian's

A) emphasis on the social context of behavior.
B) therapeutic focus on the individual.
C) holistic view of the individual.
D) focus on present circumstances and future goals.

Question 13

Second-order cybernetics focuses primarily on

A) the role of circular causality in a family system.
B) feedback loops.
C) boundaries within a family subsystem.
D) the impact of the family therapist on the family system.

Question 14

Sandy's parents are overly involved in her life and the boundaries within her family are diffuse. This family would be described as

A) enmeshed.
B) restrictive.
C) disengaged.
D) isolative.

Question 15

Viewing interactions as reciprocal suggests causality is

A) circular.
B) undetermined.
C) linear.
D) determined.

Question 16

During an argument, a father nonverbally communicates to his son to "cool off" prior to further interactions. This is an example of

A) negative feedback.
B) linear causality.
C) positive feedback.
D) miscommunication.

Question 17

The manner in which a family arranges, organizes, and maintains itself is known as its

A) evolution.
B) structure.
C) process.
D) wholeness.

Question 18

A therapist employing paradoxical interventions most likely adheres to which of the following family therapy viewpoints?

A) Strategic
B) Structural
C) Experiential
D) Behavioral

Question 19

The Psychodynamics of Family Life, viewed by many as the first text defining the field of family therapy, was written by

A) Nathan Ackerman.
B) Virginia Satir.
C) Jay Haley.
D) Salvador Minuchin.

Question 20

Family therapists are encouraged to take a gender-sensitive outlook. This means the therapist should

A) assess but not attempt to modify a family's views of gender roles.
B) theoretically separate the influence of gender from culture and social class.
C) compensate for disparate opportunities offered to males and females in a family.
D) be careful not to reinforce sexist or patriarchal attitudes.

Question 21

Wynne coined the term ________________ to describe a false sense of family closeness in which the family gives the appearance of taking part in a mutual, open, and understanding relationship.

Question 22

A family therapist employing a solution-focused approach asks the miracle question. The therapist wants to know what would happen if a miracle occurred and

A) the family won a large sum of money.
B) one member of the family could be changed.
C) the problem that leads to therapy was solved.
D) family members never saw each other again.

Question 23

To deal with their own sense of loneliness in a marriage, a couple becomes overly involved in the problems of their son. This model of interaction is

A) monadic.
B) dyadic.
C) biadic.
D) triadic.

Question 24

A genogram is a

A) compilation of each family member's values and ideals.
B) family tree diagram of generational behavior patterns.
C) reenactment of previous negative communication patterns.
D) physical acting out of family conflicts.

Question 25

Designing interventions that are paradoxical in nature is known as

A) reframing.
B) circular questioning.
C) family sculpting.
D) therapeutic double-binds.

Question 26

To deal with their daughter's refusal to eat, previously controlling parents attempt to interact supportively and empower their daughter to make her own decisions. This scenario represents a change that is

A) second order.
B) first order.
C) third order.
D) multiple order.

Question 27

A mother tells her child "I know you're not hungry," despite the child's sense that he or she is hungry. This is an example of

A) triadic communication.
B) pseudomutuality.
C) mystification.
D) redundancy principle.

Question 28

Blaming marital discord on a wife's rigid, controlling demeanor would presume a model of interaction that was

A) biadic.
B) dyadic.
C) triadic.
D) monadic.

Question 29

A family argues constantly to avoid intimacy. This illustrates

A) scapegoating.
B) mystification.
C) pseudohostility.
D) double-bind.

Question 30

A family therapist asks each member of a family sequentially to pose the other family members in physical space as a representation of his or her view of the family. This technique is known as

A) reframing.
B) family sculpting.
C) enactment.
D) circular questioning.

Question 31

The redundancy principle refers to a family's

A) desire to scapegoat a family member.
B) restricted range of interactional patterns.
C) maladaptive response to family crises.
D) need to enact family of origin issues.

Question 32

A family therapist will typically ask which of the following family members to attend the initial session?

A) Only the identified patient
B) The entire family
C) Only the parents
D) The identified patient and the parents

Question 33

Which of the following approaches involves the designing of novel strategies by the therapist to eliminate undesired behavior?

A) Transgenerational family therapy
B) Structural family therapy
C) Strategic family therapy
D) Experiential family therapy

Question 34

The founder of structural family therapy is _______.

Question 35

The psychodynamic view contending the need for a satisfying relationship is currently best expressed by ______________________.

Question 36

A dysfunctional family's portrayal of false closeness that forces togetherness despite individual needs is referred to as

A) pseudohostility.
B) double-bind.
C) pseudomutuality.
D) mystification.

Question 37

_____________ is a masking effort to obscure the real nature of family conflict and thus maintain the status quo.

Question 38

The individual identified with strategic family therapy is _______.

Question 39

Which of the following focuses on treatment of the family's presenting problem?

A) Transgenerational family therapy
B) Structural family therapy
C) Strategic family therapy
D) Experiential family therapy

Question 40

Which of the following results from the emotional experience gained by the family through enactment of the directive?

A) Behavioral change
B) Experiential change
C) Structure change
D) Cognitive change

Question 41

____________________ refers to an attempt by researchers to assess the strengths and limitations of the current research data on psychotherapy.

Question 42

Watzlawick, Weakland, and Fisch (1974) distinguished between first-order changes and second-order changes. _________________ can be demonstrated if two parents are concerned with the repeated school absences.

Question 43

Communication that leads to mixed messages results in a(n) _______ relationship.

Question 44

_________________ are role-playing efforts to bring the outside family conflict into the session.

Question 45

Discuss three techniques that a family therapist may use to alter family functioning. Under what circumstances might the therapist opt to use each of these techniques?

Question 46

In family therapy, the "client" is the whole family. Describe how family therapy would proceed without relieving individual family members of their responsibility for their own behavior.

Question 47

Describe the differences between first-order and second-order changes within a family. Give an example of a first-order change versus a second-order change.

Question 48

Structural and strategic family therapists pay less attention to family or individual histories and focus on the current family organization, hierarchies, and ___________.

Question 49

Describe the differences between structural family therapy and strategic family therapy.

Question 50

Adlerian psychotherapy shares similarities with family therapy in the focus on the family constellation. What differentiates Adlerian psychotherapy from family therapy?