Quiz — Chapter 19: Family Dynamics and Early Influence

25 questions. Multiple choice unless otherwise noted. Answer key at the end.

1. Family systems theory, as developed by Murray Bowen and others, differs from individual-focused approaches in that it:

a) Attributes all psychological problems to genetics b) Views the family as an organized system in which each member's functioning shapes and is shaped by all others c) Focuses exclusively on early childhood experience in determining adult outcomes d) Argues that individual therapy is superior to family therapy

2. In family systems theory, homeostasis refers to:

a) The natural maturation process of family members over time b) The family's tendency to resist change and return to familiar equilibrium patterns c) The balance between positive and negative interactions in family life d) The equal distribution of emotional labor between family members

3. Minuchin's structural family therapy concept of "enmeshment" describes:

a) Families with excessively rigid, impermeable boundaries between members b) Families with diffuse, unclear boundaries in which individuation is difficult c) Families in which children are triangulated into parental conflict d) Families with inflexible role assignments

4. Bowen's concept of differentiation of self describes:

a) The process by which children develop distinct personality traits from their parents b) The cognitive capacity to separate fact from feeling in family interactions c) The ability to maintain one's own identity while remaining emotionally connected to others who differ d) The developmental stage at which adolescents separate from parental authority

5. According to Bowen's theory, a person with very low differentiation of self would most likely:

a) Have difficulty forming close relationships b) Have emotional reactions strongly shaped by others' states; difficulty holding own position under family pressure c) Have excessive independence and difficulty accepting influence from close relationships d) Have rigid, rule-based thinking about family relationships

6. The concept of "circularity" in family systems thinking means:

a) Family problems tend to recur in predictable cycles b) Causation in families is circular rather than linear — there is no single first cause c) Family therapy involves circular questioning techniques d) Family patterns repeat across multiple generations in a circular fashion

7. Triangulation in family systems refers to:

a) The three-subsystem structure of nuclear families (couple, parental, sibling) b) The involvement of a third person to diffuse anxiety in a two-person relationship c) Three-generational patterns of behavioral transmission d) The triangular theory of attachment applied to family settings

8. Parentification is best described as:

a) The process by which parents transmit values and beliefs to children b) The role reversal in which a child takes on emotional or practical caretaking functions belonging to parents c) The excessive parental involvement in children's academic or social activities d) The process by which children gradually adopt adult-like reasoning

9. In the chapter's account of fixed family roles, the "hero/achiever" role is primarily characterized by:

a) Carrying the family's shadow and becoming the identified problem b) Withdrawing and becoming invisible; requiring little and taking less c) Bringing external pride and internal hope to the family; often developing achievement dependence d) Managing family tension through humor; becoming the entertainer

10. Boszormenyi-Nagy's concept of "invisible loyalties" refers to:

a) Unconscious loyalty to birth parents in adoptees b) The implicit ledger of debt and entitlement that governs family behavior and adult choices c) Family secrets kept across generations d) The unspoken rules that govern family communication

11. Bowen's concept of "emotional cutoff" describes:

a) Healthy individuation that involves reducing contact with toxic family members b) Distance from family that masquerades as independence but is still organized reactively around the family c) The process of formally ending relationships with family members who were abusive d) The developmental phase in which adolescents withdraw from family in preparation for adult independence

12. The ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) research found which of the following?

a) Childhood adversity affects psychological outcomes but not physical health b) ACEs are relatively rare in the general population c) ACE effects are non-cumulative — a single ACE produces similar risk as four d) ACE effects are cumulative; each additional ACE significantly raises risk for a range of adult outcomes

13. The resilience research consistently identifies which factor as most protective against the effects of childhood adversity?

a) High intelligence b) At least one consistent, caring relationship with an adult c) Economic resources d) Absence of inherited temperamental vulnerability

14. Intergenerational transmission of attachment operates primarily through:

a) Direct genetic inheritance of attachment-related brain structures b) The parent's exact replication of their own attachment experience c) The parent's reflective function — their capacity to think about mental states d) The stability of household economic circumstances

15. "Earned security" in attachment research refers to:

a) Security achieved through therapy after experiencing insecure attachment b) Security resulting from a successful long-term relationship in adulthood c) Security developed through processing difficult attachment history and arriving at coherent narrative d) Security achieved through financial stability in adulthood

16. In Bowen's framework, the "I-position" in family interaction is:

a) An aggressive assertion of personal needs over family obligations b) A calm, non-defensive first-person statement of one's own values or perspective c) The use of "I-statements" as taught in assertiveness training d) The position of the most differentiated member of the family system

17. According to the chapter, the most important characteristic of a healthy family is:

a) Low conflict frequency b) Similar values and beliefs across family members c) Stable economic circumstances d) The functional qualities: connection supporting individuation, repair after conflict, adaptive capacity

18. In the birth order research, first-born children show a tendency toward:

a) Greater openness to experience and creative nonconformity b) Higher achievement orientation and stronger identification with authority c) Stronger peer orientation and negotiating skills d) Greater freedom and less parental supervision

19. Which of the following best describes the systemic explanation for why a person might continue to play a family role (e.g., the hero) even after leaving the family home?

a) The role is genetically encoded and therefore persists b) The role was consciously chosen and reflects personal preference c) The role was formed in a system that no longer exists, but the role travels with the person d) The role continues because the family directly rewards its maintenance

20. Reflective function (mentalization), as described in the chapter, is significant in intergenerational transmission because:

a) High reflective function guarantees a parent will not transmit their own attachment difficulties b) Parents with high reflective function can transmit security even if their own history was difficult c) Reflective function determines attachment classification in the Adult Attachment Interview d) Mentalization capacity is primarily genetic and therefore not modifiable

21. The family emotional climate that is consistently associated with elevated rates of anxiety and depression in children is characterized by:

a) High warmth and low structure b) High expressed emotion — high criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement c) Disengaged structure with minimal emotional expression d) Inconsistent discipline and unpredictable reward

22. The chapter's discussion of "breaking the cycle" identifies four requirements. Which of the following is NOT listed as one of them?

a) Visibility — seeing the pattern clearly rather than experiencing it as simply "how things are" b) Differentiation — staying in contact while being less organized by the system c) Renouncing family of origin relationships entirely d) New experience — relationships that create new relational templates

23. Minuchin's concept of "disengaged" families describes:

a) Families with diffuse boundaries and excessive emotional reactivity b) Families going through divorce or significant disruption c) Families with rigid, impermeable boundaries and limited emotional connection d) Families that lack structured roles and expectations

24. The concept that most clearly distinguishes Bowen's family systems approach from an individually-focused approach is:

a) The insistence that family therapy is the only effective treatment for psychological problems b) The view that individual symptoms often serve functional roles in the family system c) The belief that parents are responsible for all of a child's psychological difficulties d) The claim that birth order determines personality

25. Werner's resilience research is notable for finding:

a) That early adversity cannot be overcome regardless of subsequent experience b) That children with four or more ACEs show uniformly poor outcomes c) That individual resilience is primarily a matter of temperament d) That protective relationships and competence experiences significantly moderate the effects of adversity

Answer Key