Deck 22: Codependency and Enabling

Question 1

According to your text, "codependency" and "enabling" are

A) constructs to help the professional categorize behavior more effectively.
B) frighteningly real concepts that ruin people's lives.
C) only seen in dysfunctional homes.
D) less common now than in the 1980s.

Answer 1

constructs to help the professional categorize behavior more effectively.

Question 2

Codependency

A) is more commonly encountered in homes with an alcohol use disorder rather than a drug use disorder.
B) is more commonly encountered in homes with younger adults, such as those recently married.
C) is a construct.
D) will be an accepted diagnostic category in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Answer 2

is a construct.

Question 3

According to Freud's "repetition compulsion," once the addict stops his/her dysfunctional behaviors, the codependent will

A) be cured.
B) begin to set appropriate boundaries.
C) give up control of the ex­addict's behaviors.
D) attempt to find someone else who is dysfunctional.

Answer 3

attempt to find someone else who is dysfunctional.

Question 4

Communication in codependent relationships is

A) limited to "safe" topics that will not trigger conflict.
B) expansive and addresses virtually every topic imaginable.
C) difficult to understand because of the different maturity levels of the various persons involved.
D) focused on individuation.

Question 5

By learning how to "let go" of their attempts to control a dysfunctional person's behavior, the codependent person is expressing

A) contempt for that person.
B) anger towards that person.
C) detachment from that person.
D) over-involvement with the dysfunctional person.

Question 6

A point of confusion for mental health professionals is that

A) the behaviors of codependency overlap with those of love relationships.
B) there is a danger that the codependent person will begin to accept delusions that the dysfunctional person has as being real.
C) there are distinct boundaries between normal behavior and codependency, but since the concept is still evolving we do not know what they are yet.
D) it is easier for the codependent to simply shut down emotionally until they are able to escape from the dysfunctional relationship.

Question 7

Essentially, codependency might be viewed as

A) an extreme form of a normal relationship pattern.
B) an independent pattern of relating that exists outside of normal relationships.
C) a way for all involved to focus their attention on matters outside of the family.
D) an excuse for one person to remain in a dysfunctional relationship.

Question 8

Enabling behaviors might be motivated by which of the following factors?

A) Pathological interdependency
B) Social pressure to be a "good" spouse
C) Desire to support and protect one's partner
D) All of these answers

Question 9

One potential benefit of being raised in a dysfunctional home the author states the proponents of the codependency construct seem to overlook is the development of

A) resilience.
B) boundaries.
C) self-control.
D) conflict resolution skills.

Question 10

Janis has been married to Paul, an alcoholic, for 34 years. Her role in her circle of friends is to help other wives of alcoholics, giving them empathy and support, while also telling regular stories of what Paul did that week due to his alcoholism and how she dealt with it. Her friends frequently tell her what a good, devoted wife she is. Janis is most likely utilizing which of the following coping styles described in your text?

A) Caretaker
B) Apathetic partner
C) Martyr
D) Approval seeker

Question 11

One of the important cornerstones of recovering from codependency is

A) gaining control over the addict's behavior.
B) detachment from the addict's dysfunctional behavior.
C) protecting the addict from the consequences of his/her behavior.
D) all of these answers.

Question 12

It is important to only use the term "codependency" when referring to family members.

Question 13

One motivating factor for familial denial is to

A) avoid financial responsibility for the dysfunctional person's behaviors.
B) escape the social consequences inherent in personal dysfunction.
C) escape the social blame for the addicted person's behaviors.
D) allow affected family members a measure of revenge for the behavior of the addicted person.

Question 14

A codependent's difficulty maintaining appropriate boundaries for him/herself is often described as

A) enmeshment.
B) fusion.
C) overt protection.
D) denial.

Question 15

Critics of the concept of codependency argue that viewing codependency as a absolves the individual from any personal responsibility.

A) construct
B) model for healthy relationships
C) disease
D) model for entire communities

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT seen in codependency?

A) Measuring self-worth on the basis of how another person behaves
B) Leaving/ending the dysfunctional relationship
C) Making personal sacrifices to protect the dysfunctional person from the consequences of his or her behavior
D) Attempting to avoid confronting the reality of another person's addiction

Question 17

Codependency is characterized by

A) preoccupation with "escape" behaviors to avoid blame for another person's SUD.
B) a consensus about how to spell the word by mental health professionals.
C) preoccupation with another person's behavior, and attempting to control that person's substance use.
D) insensitivity to another person's behavior.

Question 18

Codependency and enabling

A) have continued to be popular topics for researchers.
B) have all but faded into obscurity.
C) are as well accepted as real phenomenon as coronary artery disease.
D) have never been called addictive behaviors.

Question 19

Codependent persons are often taught

A) it is permitted to express my anger towards the dysfunctional person's behavior.
B) it is not permitted for me to have problems of my own.
C) I am always capable of dealing with an emergency.
D) it is possible to negotiate boundaries as I grow older and mature emotionally.

Question 20

According to your text, to "enable" another person is to

A) provide financial support to help tide him or her over in rough times, money that is in turn used to buy alcohol or drugs.
B) knowingly behave in a manner that supports another person's alcohol or drug use disorder.
C) forcefully confront the person's substance use behaviors so he or she will seek professional help.
D) allow him or her to suffer the natural consequences for their behavior.

Question 21

Discuss the "rules" of codependency and how they may reflect the dynamics within a dysfunctional family.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT true of codependent persons?

A) They believe they are not as good as others.
B) They must accept responsibility for problems well beyond their control.
C) Codependent persons are born that way.
D) Codependent people have learned to be codependent.

Question 23

Define the term "enabling." What are some of the theoretical explanations for it?

Question 24

Another reason mental health professionals are uncomfortable with the concept of codependency is that it

A) disempowers the individual.
B) causes stigma for the spouse and community.
C) overlooks the sacrifices that the "codependent" spouse has made over the years.
D) places focus on the dysfunctional spouse and not the non-dysfunctional spouse.

Question 25

Describe the cycle of codependency.

Question 26

The concept of codependency

A) forces offenders to take full responsibility for their behavior.
B) is based on the theories of personality put forward by Alfred Adler.
C) is an outgrowth of the concept of the co-alcoholic popular in the 1950s.
D) is based on the personality theory of Otto Rank, presented in the 1930s.

Question 27

The construct of "codependency" is controversial. What are some of the criticisms?

Question 28

One of the challenges to the concept of codependency is that it

A) frees family members from responsibility for their behavior.
B) makes family members "addicted by association" with an addicted person.
C) makes the dysfunctional person fully responsible for their behavior.
D) is an either/or condition.

Question 29

One of the reasons why the concept of codependency has been challenged is because it

A) fails to excuse the individual for his or her behavior.
B) turns the focus of blame to the family.
C) it incorporates the concept of resiliency into the treatment format.
D) it overlooks how the dysfunctional individual's upbringing contributed to his or her substance use.

Question 30

One criticism of the concept of codependency is that it rests upon

A) the unproven "family disease model" used in family therapy.
B) behavior modification approaches used to shape successive approximations to healthy behavior in marital counseling.
C) an unproven theory that codependents have a genetic predisposition towards such relationships.
D) the theory that the codependent is unconsciously angry at their partner, and want them to suffer for as long as possible. This is the motivation for their overly protective behaviors.

Question 31

Describe some of the various coping styles demonstrated by codependent persons.