Question 1

Whether working with an individual, couple, or family, most therapists at some point will be "invited" by clients to triangulate with them against a third party who may or may not be present in the room. To be effective, the therapist must maintain therapeutic neutrality in order to interrupt a client's attempt to involve the therapist or someone else in a triangle. This ability to be neutral is also known as:

Accepted Answer

Differentiation refers to the ability to maintain one's own beliefs and values while remaining emotionally connected to others, without getting drawn into their emotional issues or conflicts. In the context of therapy, it allows the therapist to remain neutral and not become triangulated into the client's issues.

Question 2

Nathan and Alexander, a couple who have been in a relationship for seven years, complain of a lack of communication and a dissatisfying intimate life. Nathan says he wants more emotional and physical intimacy with Alexander, but that Alexander is happy with cuddling on the couch or doing activities such as gardening together. Alexander complains that their closeness is never enough for Nathan and that he often feels pressured to do more to make Nathan happy. David, a Bowenian therapist, might use which type of intervention with this couple to promote Nathan and Alexander differentiating more and taking responsibility for their individual needs?

Accepted Answer

Bowenian therapy focuses on differentiation and taking responsibility for individual needs. Teaching self-soothing, using hugs to relax, and creating a genogram are all interventions that can promote differentiation.

Question 3

According to Boszormenyi-Nagy, families use which system to maintain trustworthiness, fairness, and loyalty between family members (its breakdown results in individual and/or relational symptoms)?

Accepted Answer

Boszormenyi-Nagy introduced the concept of the "ethical" system in families, emphasizing the importance of trust, fairness, and loyalty. This system helps maintain healthy relationships, and its breakdown can lead to symptoms in individuals or relationships.

Question 4

When therapists encourage clients to interact with family members while maintaining a clearer boundary between self and other, this is an example of what therapeutic technique?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When therapists encourage clients to interact with...

Question 5

According to Framo, what are parental interjects?

Accepted Answer

Parental interjects, according to Framo, refer to the internalized aspects of parents, particularly focusing on the negative or critical attitudes and behaviors a child adopts from their parents. These internalizations can influence the individual's self-perception and interactions with others.

Question 6

A therapist works with a couple where partner A sees partner B as "perfect" in the early parts of the relationship. When partner B no longer conforms to expectations, however, partner B becomes the enemy. The therapist might call this:

Accepted Answer

Splitting is a defense mechanism where an individual fails to integrate positive and negative aspects of others, seeing them as either all good or all bad. This is common in borderline personality disorder but can occur in various contexts, including relationships, where one partner idealizes the other and then devalues them when they fail to meet expectations.

Question 7

In psychoanalytic family therapy, when the therapist dismisses the symptomatic child from therapy and proceeds to work with the couple to address the issues that created the need for the child's symptoms, the therapist is doing what type of intervention?

Accepted Answer

Detriangulating is the process in psychoanalytic family therapy where the therapist removes the child from the symptomatic position within the family dynamics and focuses on the couple's issues that contributed to the child's symptoms. This aims to address and resolve the underlying problems within the parental relationship that may have led to the child being used as a distraction or a means of communication between the parents.

Question 8

Which therapist developed a three-stage model for working with couples that involved couples therapy, couples group therapy, and family of origin therapy?

Accepted Answer

Framo developed a three-stage model for working with couples that involved couples therapy, couples group therapy, and family of origin therapy. This approach is part of his significant contributions to the field of family therapy.

Question 9

What does the concept of multidirected partiality in contextual family therapy mean?

Accepted Answer

Multidirected partiality refers to the therapist's responsibility to be accountable to all family members, regardless of their age or position in the family.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is TRUE about research and the evidence base for Bowenian and psychoanalytic therapies?

Accepted Answer

Research highlights the need for further investigation into the outcomes and effectiveness of Bowenian and psychoanalytic therapies to refine and develop these models.

Question 11

Which of the following is considered one of the main components of Schnarch's sexual crucible model of marriage?

Accepted Answer

Schnarch's sexual crucible model views marriage as a crucible—a container that can withstand very high temperatures—implying that marriage is a vessel for intense, transformative processes. This model emphasizes personal growth and differentiation within the context of a committed relationship.

Question 12

In the Bowenian approach, how does the therapist address the pathologizing interpersonal pattern (PIP) to resolve issues among families?

Accepted Answer

Bowenian therapists focus on understanding and addressing the pathologizing interpersonal patterns (PIPs) not only in the couple's current relationship but also in their respective families of origin, as these patterns often have roots in family history.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is TRUE about the nature of the therapeutic relationship in contextual family therapy?

Accepted Answer

In contextual family therapy, therapists emphasize the importance of creating a supportive and nurturing relationship with their clients, often referred to as the "holding environment." This approach is relationally-focused, aiming to build trust and safety within the therapeutic relationship.

Question 14

Which classic psychoanalytic concept refers to when a client projects onto the therapist attributes that stem from unresolved issues with primary caregivers (therapists use the immediacy of these interactions to promote client insight)?

Accepted Answer

Transference is the psychoanalytic concept where a client projects feelings, desires, and expectations from past relationships onto the therapist. This process is used by therapists to help clients gain insight into their unresolved issues with primary caregivers and other significant relationships.

Question 15

Which of the following would NOT be considered a goal in psychoanalytic therapy?

Accepted Answer

The goal of psychoanalytic therapy is to make unconscious processes conscious, not the other way around. This therapy aims to bring repressed fears, desires, and conflicts to the conscious mind to understand and address them.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true regarding immigration and intergenerational conflict?

Accepted Answer

All of the statements are true regarding immigration and intergenerational conflict. Intergenerational cultural conflict often arises from acculturation mismatches between immigrant parents and their children, who may acculturate at different rates. This conflict is significantly correlated with internalizing symptoms such as depression and anxiety. Additionally, higher levels of perceived discrimination have been associated with more intergenerational conflict, particularly among Asian immigrant families, as discrimination can exacerbate the stresses on family dynamics and cultural adaptation processes.

Question 17

Which intervention is designed to interrupt triangulation by increasing direct communication between the dyad experiencing problems or to reverse pursuer-distancer dynamics?

Accepted Answer

Relational experiments are designed to interrupt triangulation by encouraging direct communication between the individuals experiencing problems, thereby addressing and potentially reversing pursuer-distancer dynamics.

Question 18

Minority groups who prefer action and concrete suggestions from therapists may have difficulty with Bowen intergenerational and psychoanalytic therapies. Which one of the following reasons FALSELY reflects the risks?

Accepted Answer

The statement that minority groups are not "thinking" or psychologically-minded clients is a false and inaccurate stereotype. The effectiveness of therapy approaches like Bowen intergenerational and psychoanalytic therapies does not depend on the client's minority status but rather on the individual's preferences, the therapist's skill in adapting the therapy to the client's cultural background, and the relevance of the therapy to the client's issues.

Question 19

Which of the following is true regarding sibling position within families?

Accepted Answer

The more the family members exhibit expected characteristics of their sibling position, the higher the level of differentiation. This is because each child is able to develop their own unique identity and sense of self within the family.

Question 20

The Women's Project was developed to promote a greater awareness of women's issues in the field of family therapy. Which of the following is one suggestion for how family therapists can reduce sexism in their work with couples and families?

Accepted Answer

Using the self-of-the-therapist to model an attitude of gender equality helps to reduce sexism by demonstrating through the therapist's own behavior and attitudes how gender equality can be understood and practiced within the context of family and couple therapy. This approach encourages a more equitable perspective on gender roles without reinforcing traditional or stereotypical roles.

Quiz 7: Intergenerational and Psychoanalytic Family Therapies

According to Boszormenyi-Nagy, families use which system to maintain trustworthiness, fairness, and loyalty between family members (its breakdown results in individual and/or relational symptoms) ?