CPCE Family Systems and Counseling 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Bowen's family systems theory, what term describes the ability to separate thinking from feeling while maintaining emotional connection with others?
- Triangulation
- Differentiation of self (Correct answer)
- Emotional cutoff
- Nuclear family emotional system
Correct answer: Differentiation of self
Differentiation of self is Bowen's central concept referring to a person's ability to maintain a clear sense of self while remaining emotionally connected to the family.
Question 2: Salvador Minuchin is most associated with which approach to family therapy?
- Strategic family therapy
- Experiential family therapy
- Structural family therapy (Correct answer)
- Solution-focused family therapy
Correct answer: Structural family therapy
Minuchin developed structural family therapy, which focuses on family organization, subsystems, and the nature of boundaries.
Question 3: In family systems theory, a genogram is primarily used to:
- Assess individual psychopathology using projective techniques
- Map multigenerational family patterns and relationships (Correct answer)
- Determine custody arrangements in divorce cases
- Measure family cohesion and adaptability scores
Correct answer: Map multigenerational family patterns and relationships
A genogram is a pictorial diagram that maps family relationships, roles, and recurring patterns across at least three generations.
Question 4: In Bowen's theory, triangulation occurs when:
- Three family members form a therapeutic alliance with the counselor
- A third person is drawn into a dyadic conflict to reduce tension (Correct answer)
- A family uses three different communication styles simultaneously
- Three generations are affected by the same psychological problem
Correct answer: A third person is drawn into a dyadic conflict to reduce tension
Triangulation is the process by which a third person is brought into an anxious two-person relationship to stabilize and reduce tension in the dyad.
Question 5: In structural family therapy, boundaries that are overly rigid and limit communication between family subsystems are associated with:
- Enmeshment
- Diffuse functioning
- Disengagement (Correct answer)
- Clear boundary formation
Correct answer: Disengagement
Disengaged families have overly rigid boundaries that restrict communication and emotional connection between family members and subsystems.
Question 6: The concept of 'identified patient' (IP) in family therapy refers to:
- The family member who first contacts a therapist to schedule sessions
- The family member whose symptoms are seen as the family's problem, masking systemic dysfunction (Correct answer)
- The family member given the primary DSM diagnosis during assessment
- The family member most resistant to engaging in the therapeutic process
Correct answer: The family member whose symptoms are seen as the family's problem, masking systemic dysfunction
The identified patient is the family member labeled as 'the problem,' but family therapists understand this as a symptom of broader systemic dysfunction.
Question 7: According to Carter and McGoldrick's family life cycle model, which stage centers on the task of accepting exits from and entries into the family system?
- Families with young children
- Families with adolescents
- Launching children and moving on (Correct answer)
- Joining of families through marriage
Correct answer: Launching children and moving on
The 'Launching children and moving on' stage involves accepting adult children's departure and the possible entry of new partners and grandchildren into the family system.
CPCE Family Systems and Counseling 1
In Bowen's family systems theory, what term describes the ability to separate thinking from feeling while maintaining emotional connection with others?