Deck 13: Systems Approaches

Question 1

Systems theory has roots in

A) cybernetics.
B) anthropology.
C) biology.
D) all of the above
E) A and C only

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In family counseling, the first thing a therapist would focus on would be

A) understanding the identified client.
B) redefining the problem as systemic.
C) restoring equilibrium.
D) joining with the family in order to establish mutual causality.
E) none of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The text authors stated the greatest weakness of systems theory has to do with the idea of

A) goal-directedness.
B) diagnosis.
C) mutual causality.
D) linear progression.
E) homeostasis.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

When discussing healthy versus unhealthy families, the text authors pointed out that

A) a corrective strategy to maintain equilibrium is neither good nor bad.
B) families not near the middle of the continuums of rigidity and flexibility are unhealthy.
C) different systems theories have differing views as to what is healthy and what is not.
D) a first order changes most often includes the use of negative feedback as the primary disequilibriating force.
E) A and C only

Question 5

The degree to which information is allowed to enter and leave the system is referred to as

A) openness/closedness.
B) flexibility/rigidity.
C) responsiveness/unresponsiveness.
D) elasticity/pliability.
E) permeability/unpermeability.

Question 6

The difference between first-order change and second-order change is

A) the amount of time necessary to implement the new strategy.
B) the nature of the difference from the status quo.
C) the amount of energy needed to cause the change.
D) the amount of homeostasis generated.
E) none of the above

Question 7

The systems counselor's role is to

A) disturb
B) perturb
C) inform
D) all of the above
E) A and B only

Question 8

In systems theory, boundaries are

A) equivalent to rules.
B) set up by a system so members can regulate entrance and departure of members from the system.
C) clearly stated, defined, and consciously acknowledged by all system members.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 9

Circular causality involves the concept(s) of

A) mutual influence.
B) mutual responsibility.
C) interpersonal problems.
D) all of the above
E) A and B only

Question 10

Systemic thinking shifts the focus of responsibility from the identified patient to

A) the patient's biological system.
B) the patient's environmental system.
C) the patient's social system
D) a family member in the patient's life whose interactions with the patient cause symptoms.
E) none of the above

Question 11

Satir (1972) used the analogy of a mobile to illustrate the concept of

A) linear causality.
B) holism.
C) circular causality.
D) sculpting.
E) the family constellation.

Question 12

Some families bolster their systemic stability by beating a family member down physically or psychologically, a practice known as

A) scapegoating.
B) victimization.
C) bulllying.
D) shunning.
E) negative feedback.

Question 13

In systems theory, resistance to therapy

A) is not addressed by the counselor.
B) occurs because the family is trying to maintain equilibrium.
C) is a response to the perturbations caused by the therapist.
D) all of the above
E) B and C only

Question 14

Which of the following would a systems therapist working with a family not consider an appropriate focus?

A) the extended family
B) the sibling subsystem
C) the church to which the family belongs
D) the church to which the family belongs
E) All of the above are appropriate foci for a systems therapist.

Question 15

The goal of family therapy is to

A) help each family member achieve self-actualization.
B) help each family member accomplish developmental goals.
C) help the family challenge irrational beliefs and develop rational ones.
D) help the family develop more adaptive interaction patterns.
E) help the family deconstruct and reconstruct family rules.

Question 16

In systems theory, triangulation is

A) always unhealthy.
B) used by the therapist to enter the family system.
C) a destabilizing force.
D) a technique used to understand a genogram.
E) a cybernetic term that refers primarily to power in a heirarchy.

Question 17

A systems therapist believes

A) the focus of therapy is the pathology of the identified patient.
B) elements of a system are independent of each other.
C) in circular causality rather than linear causality.
D) all of the above
E) B and C only

Question 18

A person is born into a family. This is the individual's

A) family of origin.
B) family of creation.
C) family of birth.
D) family of genetics.
E) family of destiny.

Question 19

Which approch is associated with Murray Bowen?

A) Structural
B) Contextual
C) Strategic
D) Multigenerational
E) Communications