Family Systems and Dynamics

Questions and Answers

The term _____ refers to the fair and equitable distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society to all people, regardless of their status.

social justice

_____ refers to a set of thinking rules used by groups of people to define reality or 'how we know what we know'.

Epistemology

Which characteristic is an interpersonal factor?

Psychobiology

Sexual identity

Intelligence

Family strengths (correct)

The relationships in which members of an individual's microsystem take part are referred to as his/her ____.

mesosystem Signup and view all the answers

The broad social and cultural forces that have the most widespread influence on the individual are referred to as the _____.

macrosystem Signup and view all the answers

Once it has been broken down into its component parts, ____.

a system can be more easily understood Signup and view all the answers

Systems theory focuses on ____.

the relationship among parts, such that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts Signup and view all the answers

The idea that families interact in repetitive behavioral sequences is known among systems family therapists as ____.

the redundancy principle Signup and view all the answers

Which family's protocol is an example of a covert, unstated rule?

Our father is distant because he's gone so much, so we talk to mom about problems. Signup and view all the answers

Negative feedback, or _ feedback loops, helps to the system.

attenuating; maintain Signup and view all the answers

According to the textbook, Virginia Satir argued that _____.

dysfunctional families exhibited a systemic confusion about rules Signup and view all the answers

The husband-wife dyad characterizes which type of subsystem?

couples Signup and view all the answers

A metaphoric line of demarcation that separates an individual, a subsystem, or a system from outside surroundings is called a(n) ____.

boundary Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of an open system?

An immigrant family that immediately begins learning the language and customs of a foreign land Signup and view all the answers

Useful paper-and-pencil assessment devices for diagramming a family's connection to larger social systems are called _____.

ecomaps Signup and view all the answers

The standard systemic couples therapy approach to intimate partner violence has been criticized for ____.

blaming the victim Signup and view all the answers

During the decade following World War II, the _____ was a factor that helped set the stage for the emergence of family therapy.

child guidance movement Signup and view all the answers

Gregory Bateson and his colleagues redefined schizophrenia as _____.

an interpersonal phenomenon emerging within a family Signup and view all the answers

Fromm-Reichmann argued that male schizophrenia develops from a combination of a schizophrenogenic mother and a(n) ____ father.

passive, detached, and ineffectual Signup and view all the answers

Theodore Lidz differed from other early family therapists by asserting that ____.

pathological fathering contributed to the development of schizophrenia Signup and view all the answers

Lidz viewed the marital schism as ____.

a disharmonious situation in which each parent, preoccupied with his or her own problems, fails to create a satisfactory role in the family Signup and view all the answers

Lidz's notion of marital skew holds that ____.

one psychologically disturbed parent dominates the other and the dominated parent supports a family-wide denial of the disturbed reality of their situation Signup and view all the answers

Bowen's notion of emotional divorce within a family with a schizophrenic child can be described as the ____.

distancing of emotions between two parents to avoid anxiety and achieve 'peace at any price.' Signup and view all the answers

Early marital counseling focused on the ____.

here and now Signup and view all the answers

Group therapy is sometimes advantageous over individual therapy because ____.

group therapy promotes greater feelings of support and caring from others Signup and view all the answers

Most people who seek help for their marriage are _____.

responding to a crisis Signup and view all the answers

The child guidance movement was based on the assumption that ____.

early identification and treatment of emotionally disturbed children could prevent later psychopathology Signup and view all the answers

The encounter group (part of the human potential movement) made a dramatic impact on the therapy scene in the 1960s and attracted large numbers of people, mostly from the ____.

upper middle class Signup and view all the answers

Most present-day therapists ____.

believe that change occurs when families successfully reexamine belief systems Signup and view all the answers

Core competencies for family therapists help to ____.

ensure adequately trained professional practitioners Signup and view all the answers

Licensure of marriage and family therapists provides several advantages. What is one of these?

Licensure helps consumers choose practitioners more judiciously and increases the likelihood that practitioners are competent. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following regulates who may practice by defining educational and experience criteria and by stating the conditions under which a license may be revoked?

state licensing laws Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of professional peer review?

Peer-consultation groups Signup and view all the answers

As a mental health practitioner on a panel of providers for a managed mental healthcare program, you may be required to ____.

be available for emergencies on a 24-hour basis Signup and view all the answers

Therapists who are sued for malpractice will ____.

be judged in terms of actions appropriate to other therapists with similar qualifications and duties Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a common type of malpractice suit?

Failure to obtain or document informed consent Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the main areas of professional practice included in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Code of Ethics?

professional competence and integrity Signup and view all the answers

An ethical code violation, such as inappropriate advertising of one's services, is likely to be met with a(n) _____ -level sanction by an ethics committee.

censure Signup and view all the answers

Family therapist DeAnn suspects that the parents of a family she works with are abusing one of their children. Which course of action should DeAnn take?

Report it immediately to the police or child welfare agency. Signup and view all the answers

In which situation would you, as a therapist, be allowed to breach confidentiality?

A previous client initiates litigation against you because she does not agree with your diagnosis. Signup and view all the answers

A therapist's discussion with a client about whether or not to participate in e-therapy should include ____.

the therapeutic risks and benefits of using e-therapy Signup and view all the answers

Family therapist Todd has searched the marriage and family literature for information regarding the termination of therapy. What is the most likely conclusion that Todd will come to after his research?

There is no universal agreement about how to handle terminations. Signup and view all the answers

Clara has a client with whom she is experiencing serious and irresolvable conflicts in values. What course of action should Clara take?

Refer the client to other therapists. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of communication offers clients the most protection from forced disclosure of private matters discussed with their therapist?

privileged Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of a system?

A set of interacting units or component parts that together make up a whole arrangement or organization. Signup and view all the answers

Family system has __________ properties.

evolved set of rules Signup and view all the answers

Families are subject to _ ____.

unique constraints Signup and view all the answers

What is needed for families who are depleted due to excess external and internal stress?

Community support Signup and view all the answers

What could families in poverty potentially feel?

Isolated, defeated Signup and view all the answers

What is the 21st Century view of the family?

Plurastic Signup and view all the answers

Repeatable, preferred _________ develop for those that live together for any length of time.

patterns Signup and view all the answers

What are family interactive patterns?

Collaborative, purposeful, and recurring patterns of interaction. Signup and view all the answers

What do rituals help families do?

Adapt to change Signup and view all the answers

What is Circular Causality?

The view that causality is nonlinear, occurring within a relationship context. Signup and view all the answers

What is Constructivism?

The belief that an individual's knowledge of reality results from subjective perception. Signup and view all the answers

A typical family system is characterized by _____.

An evolved set of rules for itself and its members Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about families is FALSE?

Family membership is subject to termination at any point. Signup and view all the answers

According to Constantine, which statement describes an 'enabled' family?

It balances the needs of the family with those of its individual members. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes today's average American family?

We can no longer make global statements about the average American family. Signup and view all the answers

Rituals can best be described as ____.

Symbolic actions that help families adapt to change. Signup and view all the answers

Which outlook is best characterized by the belief that there is no 'true' reality, only the family's collectively agreed-upon set of constructions?

Postmodern Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a key process in a family's resilience?

Rapid assessment of the most vulnerable family members Signup and view all the answers

Adopting a relationship outlook shifts attention from _ to _.

Content; process Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes how gender differences emerge?

Boys and girls are indoctrinated early in life into different socially-based gender roles in the family. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is in opposition to how family therapists conceptualize gender roles in the family?

Each member's type (male, female, gay, or straight) identifies a given family's power dynamic. Signup and view all the answers

African American families tend to view its members as made up of _____.

Mothers, fathers, children, and a wide network of kin, close friends, and community members. Signup and view all the answers

Which social factor is the primary determinant of whether a person's experience of work is fulfilling or demoralizing?

Social class Signup and view all the answers

Family therapists describe first-order cybernetics as _____.

Patterns of structure and feedback control that govern systems. Signup and view all the answers

The family therapist who joins a family and engages in a dialogue rather than observing from outside is probably an advocate of _____.

Second-order cybernetics Signup and view all the answers

The 'identified patient' is the family member _____.

With the presenting problem or symptom. Signup and view all the answers

Family life cycles occur ____.

Through periods of transition and change that are not always predictable. Signup and view all the answers

Developmental tasks refer to ____.

Activities or experiences that need to be mastered at various stages in the family life cycle. Signup and view all the answers

According to Zilbach (1989), a family stage marker is a(n) ____.

Life event that demands change and adaptation in a family. Signup and view all the answers

Activities undertaken by families to overcome conflicts occurring at various stages in the family life cycle are called ____.

Developmental tasks. Signup and view all the answers

Which event would be considered a family gain as described by Hoffman (1988)?

Parents acquire new children through remarriage. Signup and view all the answers

Families that have developed effective collaborative ways of coping with adversity and hardship have ____.

Relational resilience. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following would be considered a horizontal stressor?

Untimely death. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following would be considered a vertical stressor?

Family secrets. Signup and view all the answers

According to the textbook, the most significant milestone in a family's life cycle is usually ____.

Having children. Signup and view all the answers

Which experience is most useful in managing the transition from families of origin to coupling with a partner?

Commitment to each other. Signup and view all the answers

According to Combrinck-Graham, which situation characterizes a centripetal period?

A family member becomes ill, and family members work together to prepare meals. Signup and view all the answers

Which event illustrates a centrifugal period?

A family member dies. Signup and view all the answers

When a couple has lived together before marriage and established a satisfying and fulfilling sexual pattern, the transition to becoming marital partners ____.

Still represents a significant milestone. Signup and view all the answers

Which event is an example of contraction?

Launching children and moving on. Signup and view all the answers

Children of gay and lesbian parents tend to be generally ____.

Less gender stereotyped than children of heterosexual parents. Signup and view all the answers

To be fully competent, a therapist must ____.

Take into account his or her own cultural and sociodemographic characteristics. Signup and view all the answers

Philpot proposed gender-sensitive family therapy that ____.

Attempts to overcome confining sex-role stereotyping by therapists in clinical interventions. Signup and view all the answers

The term _____ refers to shared, learned knowledge, attitudes, and behavior transmitted from one generation to the next.

Culture Signup and view all the answers

According to the therapists of the Women's Project in Family Therapy, traditional models of family therapy ____.

Relied on outdated blueprints of male-determined, stereotypic sex roles, and gender-defined functions within families. Signup and view all the answers

Women who divorce later in life are ____.

Less likely to remarry than men. Signup and view all the answers

Men's studies seek to ____.

Extend feminist explorations by attending to role restrictions in men's lives. Signup and view all the answers

A primary goal of gender-sensitive therapy is to ____.

Liberate and empower both women and men. Signup and view all the answers

Gender-sensitive family therapy is best described as ____.

Pursuing nonsexist goals. Signup and view all the answers

To develop a multicultural framework, the family therapist must ____.

Expand their cultural attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills to become more culturally literate and culturally competent. Signup and view all the answers

Family patterns that are cultural-specific are ____.

Common to a specific group. Signup and view all the answers

When working from a cultural-specific perspective, a family therapist is most likely to ____.

Refrain from minimizing unusual behavior by simply attributing it to cultural difference. Signup and view all the answers

Research conducted by Boyd-Franklin (2002) found that, unlike dominant cultural norms, _____ are more likely to adhere to cultural values that stress a collective identity, family connectedness, and interdependence.

African Americans. Signup and view all the answers

Family therapists are likely to be professional-managerial class in their ____.

Both viewpoint and background. Signup and view all the answers

Professional competencies for therapists working from the perspective of social justice include ____.

Understanding the impact of socio-political dynamics on client experiences. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Family Systems and Relationships

A system is composed of interacting units that form a cohesive whole.
Family system characteristics include evolved rules, assigned roles, a power structure, communication styles, and problem-solving strategies.
Unique constraints mean families adapt to each member's circumstances, maintaining connections even if a member feels alienated.
Community support is crucial for families facing internal or external stressors.
Families in poverty often feel isolated and defeated.
The plurastic view of family recognizes diverse family forms in the 21st century.

Family Dynamics

Patterns evolve among cohabiting individuals, leading to preferred methods of interaction for harmony.
Family interactive patterns are predictable, collaborative behaviors each member engages in, maintaining established dynamics.
Rituals assist families in adapting to changes and reinforce unity.
Circular causality proposes that relationships and causal interactions are complex and non-linear.

Theories and Frameworks

Constructivism states knowledge is shaped by subjective perceptions rather than an objective reality.
First-order cybernetics refers to feedback processes governing behavior within family systems.
An "enabled" family balances individual and collective needs effectively.

Family Life Cycle and Stressors

Developmental tasks are necessary experiences for families to progress through various life stages.
Vertical stressors arise from challenges within the family, while horizontal stressors are external events imposing change, like loss or change in jobs.
Significant milestones in a family often include having children or key transitions in relationships.

Cultural and Gender Considerations

Family structures vary widely; African American families often see a broader definition of family, including extended kin and friends.
Gender roles influence family dynamics, with both traditional roles evolving in modern contexts.
Gender-sensitive family therapy aims to empower both genders while recognizing societal stereotypes and constraints.

The concept of social justice emphasizes equitable distribution of societal advantages and disadvantages, impacting family therapy practices.
Cultural-specific family patterns reflect shared knowledge, norms, and behaviors within specific groups.
Therapists must adapt their approaches to understand diverse cultural backgrounds and familial structures.

Professional Competencies in Therapy

Professional skills include recognizing one's own cultural biases and adapting therapy methods accordingly.
Family therapy should account for varying degrees of social class impact on the experience of work and family dynamics.
Collaborative approaches enhance therapeutic outcomes, promoting resilience among families in challenging situations.

Systems Theory in Family Therapy

Systems theory emphasizes the interrelation of family components, proposing that families function as integrated units rather than isolated parts.
The redundancy principle illustrates that families often engage in repetitive behaviors, influencing their interactions and coping mechanisms.### Family Dynamics and Therapy Concepts
Covert family rules can manifest as protocols like not marrying outside one's religion or parental control over bedtimes.
Feedback loops are classified into negative (attenuating; maintaining change) and positive (amplifying; maintaining system).
Virginia Satir highlighted that dysfunctional families often demonstrate confusion regarding rules.

Subsystems and Boundaries

The husband-wife dyad is categorized under the couples subsystem.
Boundaries serve as metaphorical lines that protect individuals or subsystems from external influences.
Open systems foster the exchange of information, exemplified by immigrant families adapting to new cultures.

Assessment Tools

Tools for mapping family connections to social systems include ecomaps and genograms, useful for visualizing relationships.

Therapy Approaches and Historical Context

Critique of systemic couples therapy focuses on issues like victim-blaming in intimate partner violence.
The child guidance movement post-World War II played a significant role in the rise of family therapy.

Understanding Schizophrenia in Context

Gregory Bateson redefined schizophrenia as an interpersonal phenomenon, while the role of a 'schizophrenogenic mother' has been debated.
Theodore Lidz asserted that both marital schism and skew highlight challenges in family dynamics contributing to mental health issues.

Group Therapy Benefits

Group therapy is beneficial over individual therapy by fostering greater support and reducing isolation.

Professional Ethics and Guidelines

Most individuals seek marital help in crisis situations rather than for minor annoyances.
The child guidance movement emphasizes early intervention for emotionally disturbed children to prevent later issues.
Licensure of therapists includes standards for competency and ethical practice to protect clients.

Legal Considerations in Therapy

Malpractice suits often arise from failures such as obtaining informed consent or maintaining accurate therapy records.
Breaches of confidentiality can occur when clients pose a risk to themselves or others, such as minors revealing substance abuse.

Ethical Dilemmas in Practice

Therapists must navigate complex situations, such as when to breach confidentiality or how to handle value conflicts with clients.
Communication that maintains client protections from disclosure is labeled as privileged, emphasizing the ethical commitment to confidentiality.

Termination and Client Relationships

There is no consensus in the field regarding the termination of therapy, highlighting the need for adaptive practices tailored to individual cases.
When experiencing resolvable conflicts in values with clients, referring them to other therapists is advised to maintain professional integrity.

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Description

Explore the intricate characteristics of family systems, including roles, communication styles, and problem-solving strategies. Understand how community support plays a vital role in maintaining family cohesion, especially in challenging situations. Delve into evolving family dynamics and patterns of interaction to better grasp modern familial relationships.