Basic Marital and Family Therapy Flashcards

Which of the following BEST describes the concept of complementarity in structural family therapy?

Answer: Reciprocal, interlocking roles that maintain family homeostasis

Complementarity refers to the way family members' behaviors are mutually reinforcing and interlocking, so that changing one person's role requires changes in the entire system.

In attachment theory applied to couples therapy (EFT), the core goal of Stage 2 is best described as:

Answer: Restructuring negative interactional cycles at the level of attachment emotions

In EFT Stage 2, partners access and express previously unacknowledged attachment emotions, enabling new, emotionally vulnerable interactions that reshape the bond.

A family therapist is working with a blended family and observes that the stepparent is placed in a position of authority without having first built a relationship with the stepchildren. This is most likely to create:

Answer: Coalition against the stepparent

When authority is granted without an established relationship, stepchildren often form coalitions with the biological parent, undermining the stepparent and creating loyalty conflicts.

Which of the following best characterizes the cybernetic concept of 'morphogenesis' in family systems?

Answer: The family's capacity to transform its rules and structure in response to change

Morphogenesis refers to a system's ability to change its structure and rules — positive feedback loops that amplify deviation, enabling transformation and growth.

A therapist working with a Latino family takes time to engage in small talk and express interest in family members' wellbeing before addressing the presenting concern. This reflects the cultural value of:

Answer: Personalismo

Personalismo is the Latino cultural value emphasizing warm, personalized relationships over formal or task-focused interactions, which is critical for building therapeutic alliance.

In cognitive-behavioral couple therapy (CBCT), automatic thoughts in relationships are MOST directly addressed through:

Answer: Guided discovery and Socratic questioning

CBCT uses Socratic questioning and guided discovery to help partners examine and restructure maladaptive cognitions about the relationship and each other.

Which theorist is most associated with the concept of the 'identified patient' and the view that the symptomatic individual expresses the dysfunction of the entire family system?

Answer: Nathan Ackerman

Nathan Ackerman, a pioneer of family therapy, introduced the concept that the identified patient serves as the symptom-bearer for the family's relational distress.