Question 1

What is a genogram?

Accepted Answer

A)  A genealogy covering the complete history of a family 
B)  A type of self report and discovery of family secrets 
C)  A type of family tree that specifically maps key multigenerational processes 
D)  A complete medical history of a family

Question 2

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

A)  Openly discuss the gender role expectations of each partner and parent and point out areas where the couple or family should increase those traditional roles 
B)  Encourage men to take time for themselves to avoid losing their individual identity to the roles of husband and father 
C)  Use the self-of-the-therapist to model an attitude of gender equality 
D)  Push women to take on equal responsibility in family relationships and the household, as well as for scheduling therapy, attending therapy with children, and/or arranging for babysitting for couples sessions

Question 3

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

A)  These therapies are aimed at "thinking"-or psychologically-minded-clients, which minority groups are not 
B)  The therapist may use inappropriate cultural norms to analyze family dynamics, thereby imposing a set of values and beliefs that are at odds with the minority clients' culture 
C)  The therapist will assume that attachment in all cultures looks the same and the minority client may be inaccurately and unfairly evaluated 
D)  The therapist may expect minority clients to conform to common cultural norms

Question 4

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

A)  Mechanical 
B)  Ethical 
C)  Electrical 
D)  Debt

Question 5

When working with a family, an intergenerational therapist can only accurately "see" what is going on in the family or clearly conceptualize family dynamics if they are:

Accepted Answer

A)  anxious. 
B)  differentiated. 
C)  emotionally distant. 
D)  disengaged.

Question 6

From the perspective of an intergenerational therapist, which of the following is NOT true of a triangle?

Accepted Answer

A)  A triangle is a stabilizing unit for the primary dyad 
B)  A triangle is a process in which a dyad draws in a third person or thing 
C)  A triangle is a healthy way to relieve tension 
D)  A triangle is a fundamental process in natural systems

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Increase autonomy and ego-directed action by making conscious processes unconscious 
B)  Decrease interactions based on projections or a revolving slate of entitlements 
C)  Increase capacity for intimacy without loss of self (fusion with object) 
D)  Develop reciprocal commitments that include a fair balance of entitlements and indebtedness

Question 8

Differentiation is measured along a continuum that ranges from 1 to 100, with lower levels of differentiation represented by lower numbers. Bowen believed that the average person or people rarely reached higher than what on this scale?

Accepted Answer

A)  50 
B)  95 
C)  70 
D)  65

Question 9

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

A)  chronic anxiety. 
B)  regression. 
C)  differentiation. 
D)  validation.

Question 10

According to Framo, what are parental interjects?

Accepted Answer

A)  The internalized negative aspects of parents 
B)  When clients defend against anxiety by projecting certain split-off or unwanted parts of themselves onto another person 
C)  Anxiety that is repressed when a child experiences separation from their primary caregiver 
D)  Transference from one family member to another family member

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Therapists are viewed as neutral blank screens. 
B)  Therapists keep their own feelings and expressions of empathy at bay. 
C)  Therapists are relationally-focused, creating a relationship they call the holding environment. 
D)  Therapists do not handle therapy arrangements; they leave that to the receptionist.

Question 12

The father of a family in therapy complains that his wife is so involved with their children-always running them back and forth to school, sports practices, dance recitals, and attending PTA meetings-that he never sees her. When he does see his wife, they fight. According to a Bowen intergenerational therapist, this might be considered a classic example of:

Accepted Answer

A)  differentiation. 
B)  emotional triangle. 
C)  emotional cutoff. 
D)  regression.

Question 13

When an intergenerational therapist maintains an emotionally engaged stance that is nonreactive-meaning that the therapist does not react to attacks, "bad" news, and so forth without careful reflection-this is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  a detached presence. 
B)  a non-caring presence. 
C)  an emotional presence. 
D)  a nonanxious presence.

Question 14

In the hands of an intergenerational therapist, the genogram is used simultaneously as:

Accepted Answer

A)  a way to help the family implement new patterns individually and as a family. 
B)  a way to map out family medical complications and how each affected the family. 
C)  an assessment instrument and intervention. 
D)  an intervention and tool for the closing phase of therapy.

Question 15

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

A)  Detriangulation 
B)  Relational experiments 
C)  Going home again 
D)  Genograms

Question 16

When a family lacks sufficient differentiation, it may become emotionally fused. An undifferentiated family may become a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  ego mass. 
B)  mess. 
C)  cell. 
D)  nucleus.

Question 17

Differentiation is one of the most useful concepts for understanding interpersonal relationships. Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Differentiation refers to a person's ability to separate intrapersonal and interpersonal distress. 
B)  Differentiation is the ability to balance two life forces: the need for togetherness and the need for autonomy. 
C)  Differentiation is a lifelong journey that is colloquially referred to as "maturity" in the broadest sense. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 18

Like any theory with a definition of health, intergenerational therapy has clearly-defined, long-term therapeutic goals that can be used with all clients. Which one of the following fits for this theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  Congruent communication for all family members 
B)  Effective parental hierarchy and the severing of cross-generational coalitions 
C)  Promote personal growth: support the completion of developmental tasks for all family members 
D)  Increase each person's level of differentiation (in specific contexts)

Question 19

A Bowenian therapist asks a client, "How do the struggles you are experiencing with your wife now compare to the struggles your own parents had? Are they similar or different?" The therapist is asking which type of questions?

Accepted Answer

A)  Projection questions 
B)  Protection questions 
C)  Process questions 
D)  Proactive questions

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Intergenerational cultural conflict is correlated with acculturation mismatch between parents and children. 
B)  Intergenerational conflict related to acculturation is significantly correlated with internalizing symptoms. 
C)  Higher levels of perceived discrimination were associated with more intergenerational conflict among Asian immigrant families. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Exam 7: Intergenerational and Psychoanalytic Family Therapies