Family Therapies Flashcards
Question ID #12553: Bateson and his colleagues (1956) described double-bind communication as a cause of which of the following?
Select one:
A.
Suicide
B.
Divorce
C.
Schizophrenia
D.
Anorexia Nervosa
The correct answer is C.
Double-bind communication involves receipt of contradictory messages (often one verbal and one nonverbal) with an inability to comment on those messages. Bateson et al. (1956) identified double-bind communication as an etiological factor in the development of Schizophrenia in a family member.
Answers A, B, and D: Bateson et. al did not find that double-bind communication was an etiological factor in the occurrence of suicide, divorce, or the development of anorexia.
Question ID #12555: During an argument, a husband and wife keep trying to outdo one another in terms of insults. This is one of the possible outcomes of:
Select one:
A.
high-context communication.
B.
low-context communication.
C.
complementary communication.
D.
symmetrical communication.
The correct answer is D.
For the exam, you want to be familiar with the differences between low- versus high-context communication and between complementary versus symmetrical communication. In symmetrical communication, the communicators have equal status. A possible negative outcome of this type of communication is that it may escalate into a “one-upmanship” game.
Answer A: This is not the best answer. High-context communication is grounded in the situation, depends on group understanding, relies heavily on nonverbal cues, helps unify a culture, and is slow to change.
Answer B: This is not the best answer. Low-context communication relies primarily on the explicit, verbal part of a message.
Answer C: Complementary communication is based on inequality with one partner assuming a dominant role and the other a subordinate position.
Question ID #12556: As defined by Murray Bowen, an “emotional triangle” serves which of the following functions?
Select one:
A.
It alleviates “boundary disturbances” between family members.
B.
It increases differentiation among family members.
C.
It reduces anxiety and tension between family members.
D.
It helps the therapist “join” the family system.
The correct answer is C.
Bowen considered an emotional triangle to be a basic building block in a family’s emotional system. According to Bowen, when a two-person system such as a husband-wife or parent-child experiences instability or stress, it may form an emotional triangle by recruiting a third person into the system in order to increase stability and reduce tension and anxiety.
Answer A: Though the concept of boundary disturbances is more closely associated with Minuchin, these disturbances would not be alleviated by an emotional triangle as emotional triangles are more likely to occur when there is a low level of differentiation among family members.
Answer B: Emotional triangles do not increase differentiation.
Answer D: The concept of joining is associated with Minuchin’s structural family therapy.
Question ID #12557: A structural family therapist would most likely use which of the following techniques when working with a family consisting of a mother and father who constantly argue, a teenage son who is overly dependent on his mother, and a 9-year-old daughter who has asthma and other physical symptoms?
Select one:
A.
Pointing out and discussing problematic interaction patterns as they occur
B.
Working with two of the family members to increase differentiation
C.
Becoming therapeutically “triangled” into the spousal dyad to reduce tension and increase stability
D.
Blending with the family by adopting its language, behaviors, and style
The correct answer is D.
A distinctive feature of Minuchin’s structural family therapy is its use of “joining.” Joining entails blending with the family by adopting its language, behaviors, style, etc.
Answer A: This technique is used in communication/interaction family therapy.
Answer B: This is a Bowenian technique.
Answer C: This is another technique employed by Bowenian family therapists.
Question ID #12558: Paradoxical interventions are often utilized by strategic family therapists for the purpose of:
Select one:
A.
altering the environment.
B.
relieving symptoms.
C.
restructuring the family.
D.
helping the family see their choices.
The correct answer is B.
Strategic family therapists use a variety of techniques including paradoxical interventions which are intended to provide symptom relief by ultimately helping the client see the symptom in an alternative way.
Answer A: This is the goal of behavioral family therapy.
Answer C: This is the primary goal of structural family therapy.
Answer D: This is the primary goal of Milan’s systemic family therapy.
Question ID #13754: A family therapist has been seeing a mother, father, and their two children in therapy for three months. Two days after a therapy session, the father calls the therapist to talk about a conflict he is having with his wife and tries to get the therapist to side with him. The next day, the wife calls the therapist and tries to get him to see things from her point of view. From the perspective of structural family therapy, this situation can be considered an example of:
Select one:
A.
scapegoating.
B.
mimesis.
C.
triangulation.
D.
detouring.
The correct answer is C.
Minuchin, the founder of structural family therapy, distinguished between three types of rigid triads—detouring, stable coalition, and triangulation. Triangulation is one of the rigid triads identified by Minuchin. Though originally defined as involving parents and a child, triangulation can also refer to any triad in which two parties attempt to involve a third party in their conflict and demand the third party’s loyalty.
Answer A: Scapegoating occurs when family members blame one member (often the “identified patient”) for the family’s problem.
Answer B: Mimesis refers to joining a family system by mirroring (imitating) its style, tempo, and affect.
Answer D: Detouring is another rigid triad. It is occurring when parents avoid conflicts between them by focusing on a child.
