Deck 4: Systems Theory and Systemic Thinking

Question 1

In families labeled as pathogenic,demands by an adolescent for a rule change would likely be met with:

A)encouragement since it showed independence
B)increased rigidity regarding the retention of rules
C)increased flexibility because all members sought changes
D)a reexamination of all family rules.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Homeostasis refers to:

A)the tendency within a family for persons of the same sex to band together.
B)roles within a family being assigned according to traditional sex roles
C)the inclination of a system to maintain a dynamic equilibrium around a central tendency.
D)None of the answers are correct

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Advocates of a new epistemology,such as Dell,view the therapist's role as:

A)restoring the family's former homeostatic balance
B)searching for new levels of balance
C)remaining outside observers.
D)None of the answers are correct

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Feedback loops refer to escalating quarreling patterns between spouses.
B)Negative feedback is corrective,adjusting the input and returning the system to a steady state.
C)Positive feedback is corrective,adjusting the input and returning the system to a steady state
D)nformation processing refers to the set of family rules developed through the life cycle.

Question 5

Returned information regarding the consequences of an event is called:

A)feedback.
B)positive feedback
C)negative feedback
D)negative information processing

Question 6

Family rules directing what may or may not occur between members can be considered to be:​

A)descriptive.
B)metaphoric
C)prescriptive.
D)intrapsychic.

Question 7

A systems perspective:

A)emphasizes S-R connections
B)supports linear explanations of behavior.
C)views component parts as greater than the whole.
D)stresses wholeness or unity.​

Question 8

The notion that there is an objectively knowable world to be observed and measured represents which viewpoint?

A)Postmodernism
B)Poststructuralism
C)Modernism
D)None of the answers are correct

Question 9

The way a family organizes and maintains itself at any given time refers to its:

A)processes.
B)power.
C)structure​
D)general systems theory.

Question 10

By marital quid pro quo,Jackson was referring to:

A)an exchange of benefits between marital partners.
B)role overload
C)discontinuous changes in the family life cycle.
D)All of the answers are correct.

Question 11

A family's metarules refers to:

A)rules about the rules.​
B)discarded rules
C)flexible family rules
D)inflexible family rules

Question 12

Families interact in repetitive behavioral sequences.This is known as:

A)boundary rules.
B)homeostasis.
C)the redundancy principle.
D)the rule repetition phenomenon

Question 13

Metarules are:

A)always constructive.
B)always destructive
C)unstated family secrets.
D)unstated family directives.

Question 14

The textbook authors contend that systems theory:

A)encompasses cybernetics and general systems theory.
B)replaces cybernetics and general systems theory.
C)is another name for cybernetics only.
D)is another name for general systems theory but not cybernetics.

Question 15

Feminists challenge the systems metaphor because it:

A)reifies concepts
B)ignores gender and power issues.
C)overemphasizes power distinctions between men and women.
D)overemphasizes feedback loops.

Question 16

Family therapist Virginia Satir helped families:

A)set up written contracts stating agreed-upon family rules
B)de-emphasize their feelings and avoid topics causing family pain.
C)follow rules she establishes for them.
D)recognize their unwritten rules.

Question 17

"Attenuated feedback loops" is suggested in the text as a better term for:

A)negative feedback.
B)positive feedback.
C)alternating positive and negative feedback.
D)None of the answers are correct.

Question 18

Another name for an amplifying loop is:

A)negative feedback.
B)positive feedback
C)alternating positive and negative feedback.
D)None of the answers are correct.

Question 19

Most family rules are:

A)overtly stated.
B)unwritten and covertly stated
C)unchangeable as long as the family remains a functioning unit.
D)not open to negotiation once the rules are established.

Question 20

General systems theory is considered by the authors to:

A)be interchangeable with cybernetic theory
B)provide the underpinning for much of family therapy theory.
C)be too narrow a concept because of its specific references to feedback mechanisms.
D)arise from research at the Mental Research Institute.

Question 21

Closed systems tend to become disorganized and go into disorder.This is known as:

A)entropy.
B)negentropy.
C)homeostasis
D)cybernetics.

Question 22

Which of the following does not characterize the immigrant Indian family described in the text:

A)was a working class family.
B)represented a relatively open system in their native country
C)reacted to immigration by becoming a more closed system
D)reacted to immigration by becoming a more open system in their new country

Question 23

_____________________ Repetitive behavioral sequences within a family.

Question 24

._____________________ Those circular mechanisms by which information about a system's output is continuously reintroduced back into the system,initiating a chain of subsequent events.

Question 25

In the example offered in the text by Imber-Black,a family interacted with five larger systems.One negative consequence of such an arrangement is:

A)differences in beliefs among the helpers might surface
B)differences in approaches might surface.
C)competing definitions of the problem might occur
D)All of the answers are correct.

Question 26

Which of the following is not an example of a larger system with which problematic families may engage?

A)Schools
B)Health care clinics
C)Open systems
D)Probation departments

Question 27

Negative and positive feedback loops are:

A)bad and good respectively.
B)good and bad respectively.
C)neither intrinsically good or bad.
D)invariably destabilizing.

Question 28

The more open a family,the more:

A)adaptable to rule change.
B)resistant to changing customary interactive patterns.
C)the risk of eventual dysfunction.
D)boundaries are difficult to cross.

Question 29

_____________________ A dynamic state of balance or equilibrium in a system,or a tendency toward achieving and maintaining such a state in an effort to ensure a stable environment.

Question 30

Anthropologist Bateson has defined ______________ as "a difference that makes a difference."

A)love
B)family life patterns
C)the environment
D)information

Question 31

_____________________ The tendency of a system to remain flexible and open to new input,necessary for change and survival of the system.

Question 32

The theory of social ecology,including four levels of influence,was proposed by:

A)Jackson.
B)Dell.
C)Satir.
D)Bronfenbrenner.

Question 33

According to the text,which subsystem is most basic in a family?

A)Spousal
B)Parental
C)Sibling
D)All are equally basic

Question 34

Families that live in relative isolation,communicating primarily among themselves,are apt to become:

A)disengaged systems
B)relatively closed systems.
C)totally closed systems.
D)negentropic.

Question 35

The consultant who takes the interaction of two systems into account is using which approach?

A)Ecosystemic
B)Interactional
C)Relational
D)None of the answers are correct.

Question 36

The elements of a system are delineated by its:

A)units.
B)boundaries.
C)feedback mechanisms.
D)None of the answers are correct.

Question 37

Ecomaps are:

A)drawings by adult family members.
B)devices for depicting a family's connection to a larger system.
C)school learning projects.
D)a child's depiction of his or her family

Question 38

Which of the following is not considered to be an enduring subsystem?

A)Spousal
B)Gender
C)Sibling
D)Parental

Question 39

hich of the following is a school-related intervention program based upon a social ecological viewpoint?

A)Multisystemic therapy
B)Multiphasic therapy
C)Psychosocial therapy
D)Family-school therapy

Question 40

The _______________ of subsystem boundaries is more important for effective family function than the composition of the family subsystems.

A)composition
B)age
C)size
D)clarity

Question 41

Compare your family as a system using the separate systems inside your body as a metaphor.(For example,big brother was the heart of our family,mom was always the brains of the operation,and Dad was the feet..because he walked out on us. )Include extended family as appropriate or as defined by your culture.Get as expressive as necessary to paint a picture of your family.

Question 42

How does a systems theory approach challenge previously held ideas about mental health and wellness?

Question 43

Discuss some of the components of a system as it applies to the family. What are the key concepts and how are they related?

Question 44

Explain what feedback loops are. Discuss the differences between negative and positive feedback and provide some examples of how these concepts might be evidenced within the family.​

Question 45

Describe a systemic interchange that occurred in your family and determine whether or not the outcome produced change to your family system or the system remained unchanged