LMSW Human Growth and Development 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which theorist developed the concept of 'basic trust vs. mistrust' as the foundational psychosocial conflict of infancy?
- Sigmund Freud
- Erik Erikson (Correct answer)
- Margaret Mahler
- Carl Jung
Correct answer: Erik Erikson
Erikson identified trust vs. mistrust as the first psychosocial stage (birth to 18 months), resolved through consistent, responsive caregiving.
Question 2: A social worker notes that a client in middle adulthood volunteers extensively and mentors younger colleagues. According to Erikson, this reflects successful resolution of:
- Intimacy vs. Isolation
- Identity vs. Role Confusion
- Generativity vs. Stagnation (Correct answer)
- Integrity vs. Despair
Correct answer: Generativity vs. Stagnation
Generativity vs. stagnation (middle adulthood) involves contributing to the next generation through parenting, mentoring, or community involvement.
Question 3: The process by which children observe and imitate the behavior of others, as described by Albert Bandura, is called:
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Social learning (Correct answer)
- Systematic desensitization
Correct answer: Social learning
Bandura's social learning theory posits that behavior is acquired through observation, imitation, and modeling of others, demonstrated famously in the Bobo doll experiment.
Question 4: During which Freudian psychosexual stage does the Oedipus complex emerge?
- Oral stage
- Anal stage
- Phallic stage (Correct answer)
- Latency stage
Correct answer: Phallic stage
The Oedipus complex, in which a child develops unconscious desires for the opposite-sex parent, emerges during the phallic stage (ages 3–6).
Question 5: A client describes her toddler as fussy, irregular in sleep/eating patterns, and slow to adapt to new situations. Thomas and Chess would classify this child's temperament as:
- Easy temperament
- Slow-to-warm-up temperament
- Difficult temperament (Correct answer)
- Inhibited temperament
Correct answer: Difficult temperament
Thomas and Chess described 'difficult' temperament as characterized by negative mood, irregularity, high intensity, and withdrawal from new stimuli.
Question 6: The concept of 'emerging adulthood' (ages 18–25), characterized by identity exploration and instability, was proposed by:
- Daniel Levinson
- Jeffrey Arnett (Correct answer)
- Robert Havighurst
- Erik Erikson
Correct answer: Jeffrey Arnett
Jeffrey Arnett coined the term 'emerging adulthood' to describe a distinct developmental period between adolescence and full adulthood marked by exploration in love, work, and worldview.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of 'secondary aging' as opposed to 'primary aging'?
- Gradual decrease in skin elasticity
- Slowing of reflexes due to neurological changes
- Development of Type 2 diabetes related to poor diet (Correct answer)
- Reduction in lung capacity with age
Correct answer: Development of Type 2 diabetes related to poor diet
Secondary aging refers to changes caused by disease, lifestyle, or environmental factors, whereas primary aging refers to universal, inevitable biological changes.
LMSW Human Growth and Development 4
Which theorist developed the concept of 'basic trust vs. mistrust' as the foundational psychosocial conflict of infancy?