Deck 10: Families

Question 1

Though people may look at and define family through different lenses, according to the text, members of a "family"
need not share genetic material in order to be considered as such.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

While the term "two-parent biological family"
defines a married couple with their children, a family in which the parents are not married is termed "cohabiting."

Answer 2

False

Question 3

According to family systems theory, the actions of the head of the household have the greatest effect on the family as a whole.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

When it comes to most family functions, families fall along a continuum, with the more dysfunctional families falling at the extreme ends of the spectrum.

Question 5

Most family conflict is best handled by simply letting some time pass so that the parties involved can cool off and move past it.

Question 6

The idea that calling a grouping a family makes it a family is the _______ nature of families.

A) constitutive
B) multigenerational
C) shared history
D) interpersonal

Question 7

Even though they barely know each other, Rod considers his cousin Blake family because they are related by blood. In this case, Rod is looking at family through a _______ lens.

A) role
B) sociolegal
C) biogenetic
D) nepotistic

Question 8

Christophe's mother does not consider his long-time girlfriend part of the family because the two are not married. She is looking at the family unit through a _______ lens.

A) role
B) sociolegal
C) biogenetic
D) multigenerational

Question 9

According to the text's definition, which of the following is true of families?

A) "Family" is actually a subjective term, and the definition of who can be considered family may differ widely among different family groups.
B) If a group of people who are unrelated behave like a family, they have created a family unit regardless of their lack of biological connections.
C) Attachments have a powerful impact on the formation of a family, whether or not they are healthy attachments.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 10

A family in which a child lives with one parent but regularly sees and receives financial support from the other parent is most adequately described as a:

A) committed family.
B) blended family.
C) single-parent family.
D) primary-parent family.

Question 11

After his father died, Abdul and his mother and sister moved in with his maternal grandmother. This household is most appropriately termed a(n):

A) intergenerational family.
B) extended family.
C) blended family.
D) nuclear family.

Question 12

Chantal is much more formal and reserved when interacting with her grandparents than with her parents. This is an example of ______ in systems.

A) complexity
B) wholeness
C) patterns
D) openness

Question 13

Relational synergy is related to:

A) wholeness in systems.
B) regularities in systems.
C) interdependence in systems.
D) openness in systems.

Question 14

Elvin and Sandy have been married for ten years and have three children. Any time Sandy needs to make a decision about the family, she asks her mother what she should do. Elvin gets frustrated because he doesn't think his mother-in-law knows what's best for the family in every case, but Sandy always does what her mother says, no matter what. Sandy and her mother are:

A) chaotic.
B) disengaged.
C) enmeshed.
D) rigid.

Question 15

When a father makes it clear to his children that he is the authority figure and that they are to listen to him, he is establishing:

A) a rigid family structure.
B) a family identity.
C) external boundaries.
D) internal boundaries.

Question 16

Which of the following is true of conflict in families?

A) Conflict can be an opportunity for growth of the family and its members.
B) Only dysfunctional families experience conflict.
C) Conflict in families is always a major source of stress.
D) Conflict is best ignored in most situations.

Question 17

Which of the following is true of family challenges?

A) Stress is always a result of a negative change in the family, and the source of the stress should be removed immediately.
B) One situation may lead a family to experience all of the major challenges at once--conflict, change, and stress--which can put a family system at risk.
C) Family change is the least disruptive of the family challenges and is usually healthy in the long run.
D) Family conflict is usually the result of the disruption of external boundaries, so they should be clear from the very inception of the family.

Question 18

Which of the following is the most likely to cause a family to experience the challenge of conflict?

A) Letitia's brother is diagnosed with cancer.
B) After her marriage, Bridget moves from her parents' house to her own house with her husband, now running her own household.
C) Shawn is overjoyed at the birth of his son yet terrified of being responsible for a baby.
D) Rob is frustrated because he feels he has to be the disciplinarian of the children while his wife gets to be the "good guy."

Question 19

Many of the terms that were previously used to define family structures, such as nuclear family, stepfamily, and extended family, have been replaced by new terms such as two-parent biological family, blended family, and intergenerational family. What accounts for these changes? Do you think the new terms better define each family unit? Why or why not?

Question 20

Consider the types of family functions discussed in the text. Do you think any of them are more important than others? If so, which ones and why? If not, why do you think they are all equally important?