MSW COMPREHENSIVE TEST SCRIPT 2026
FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
●● Systems Theory Applications to Social Work.
Answer: 1. Social workers need to understand interactions between the
micro, meso, and macro levels.
2. Problems at one part of a system may be manifested at another.
3. Ecomaps and genograms can help to understand system dynamics.
4. Understanding "person-in-environment" is essential to identifying
barriers or opportunities for change.
5. Problems and change are viewed within larger contexts.
Apgar PhD LSW ACSW, Dr. Dawn (2015-05-11). Social Work ASWB
Masters Exam Guide: A Comprehensive Study Guide for Success (pp.
43-44). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
●● Some System Theory Terms.
Answer: Closed system- uses up its energy and dies
Differentiation- becoming specialized in structure and function
Entropy- closed, disorganized, stagnant; using up available energy
Equifinality- arriving at the same end from different beginnings
homeostasis steady state
,Input- obtaining resources from the environment that are necessary to
attain the goals of the system
Negative entropy- exchange of energy and resources between systems
that promote growth and transformation
Open system a system with cross-boundary exchange
Output- product of the system that exports to the environment
Subsystem- a major component of a system made up of two or more
interdependent components that interact in order to attain their own
purpose( s) and the purpose( s) of the system in which they are
embedded
Suprasystem- an entity that is served by a number of component systems
organized in interacting relationships throughput energy that is
integrated into the system so it can be used by the system to accomplish
its goals
Apgar PhD LSW ACSW, Dr. Dawn (2015-05-11). Social Work ASWB
Masters Exam Guide: A Comprehensive Study Guide for Success (p.
44). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
●● The eight interlocking concepts of Bowen Theory include:.
Answer: 1) Differentiation of Self
2) Triangles
3) Nuclear Family Emotional Process
4) Family Projection Process
5) Emotional Cutoff
,6) Multigenerational Transmission Process
7) Sibling Position
8) Societal Emotional Process.
●● FAMILY THEORIES.
Answer: Family theory provides a theoretical and therapeutic base for
dealing with family-related situations; it is also useful in understanding
and managing individual problems by determining the extent to which
such problems are related to family issues. A family systems approach
argues that in order to understand a family system, a social worker must
look at the family as a whole, rather than focusing on its members.
People do not exist in a vacuum. They live, play, go to school, and work
with other people. Most anthropologists agree that, next to their peculiar
tendency to think and use tools, one of the distinguishing characteristics
of human beings is that they are social creatures. The social group that
seems to be most universal and pervasive in the way it shapes human
behavior is the family. For social workers, the growing awareness of the
crucial impact of families on clients has led to the development of
family systems theory. Family systems theory searches for the causes of
behavior, not in the individual alone, but in the interactions among the
members of a group. The basic rationale is that all parts of the family are
interrelated. Further, the family has properties of its own that can be
known only by looking at the relationships and interactions among all
members.
, Apgar PhD LSW ACSW, Dr. Dawn (2015-05-11). Social Work ASWB
Masters Exam Guide: A Comprehensive Study Guide for Success (pp.
44-45). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
●● The family systems approach is based on several basic assumptions:.
Answer: 1. Each family is more than a sum of its members.
2. Each family is unique, due to the infinite variations in personal
characteristics and cultural and ideological styles.
3. A healthy family has flexibility, consistent structure, and effective
exchange of information.
4. The family is an interactional system whose component parts have
constantly shifting boundaries and varying degrees of resistance to
change.
5. Families must fulfill a variety of functions for each member, both
collectively and individually, if each member is to grow and develop.
6. Families strive for a sense of balance or homeostasis.
7. Negative feedback loops are those patterns of interaction that maintain
stability or constancy while minimizing change. Negative feedback
loops help to maintain homeostasis. Positive feedback loops, in contrast,
are patterns of interaction that facilitate change or movement toward
either growth or dissolution.
8. Families are seen as being goal oriented. The concept of equifinality
refers to the ability of the family system to accomplish the same goals
through different routes.
9. The concept of hierarchies describes how families organize
themselves into various smaller units or subsystems that are comprised
FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
●● Systems Theory Applications to Social Work.
Answer: 1. Social workers need to understand interactions between the
micro, meso, and macro levels.
2. Problems at one part of a system may be manifested at another.
3. Ecomaps and genograms can help to understand system dynamics.
4. Understanding "person-in-environment" is essential to identifying
barriers or opportunities for change.
5. Problems and change are viewed within larger contexts.
Apgar PhD LSW ACSW, Dr. Dawn (2015-05-11). Social Work ASWB
Masters Exam Guide: A Comprehensive Study Guide for Success (pp.
43-44). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
●● Some System Theory Terms.
Answer: Closed system- uses up its energy and dies
Differentiation- becoming specialized in structure and function
Entropy- closed, disorganized, stagnant; using up available energy
Equifinality- arriving at the same end from different beginnings
homeostasis steady state
,Input- obtaining resources from the environment that are necessary to
attain the goals of the system
Negative entropy- exchange of energy and resources between systems
that promote growth and transformation
Open system a system with cross-boundary exchange
Output- product of the system that exports to the environment
Subsystem- a major component of a system made up of two or more
interdependent components that interact in order to attain their own
purpose( s) and the purpose( s) of the system in which they are
embedded
Suprasystem- an entity that is served by a number of component systems
organized in interacting relationships throughput energy that is
integrated into the system so it can be used by the system to accomplish
its goals
Apgar PhD LSW ACSW, Dr. Dawn (2015-05-11). Social Work ASWB
Masters Exam Guide: A Comprehensive Study Guide for Success (p.
44). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
●● The eight interlocking concepts of Bowen Theory include:.
Answer: 1) Differentiation of Self
2) Triangles
3) Nuclear Family Emotional Process
4) Family Projection Process
5) Emotional Cutoff
,6) Multigenerational Transmission Process
7) Sibling Position
8) Societal Emotional Process.
●● FAMILY THEORIES.
Answer: Family theory provides a theoretical and therapeutic base for
dealing with family-related situations; it is also useful in understanding
and managing individual problems by determining the extent to which
such problems are related to family issues. A family systems approach
argues that in order to understand a family system, a social worker must
look at the family as a whole, rather than focusing on its members.
People do not exist in a vacuum. They live, play, go to school, and work
with other people. Most anthropologists agree that, next to their peculiar
tendency to think and use tools, one of the distinguishing characteristics
of human beings is that they are social creatures. The social group that
seems to be most universal and pervasive in the way it shapes human
behavior is the family. For social workers, the growing awareness of the
crucial impact of families on clients has led to the development of
family systems theory. Family systems theory searches for the causes of
behavior, not in the individual alone, but in the interactions among the
members of a group. The basic rationale is that all parts of the family are
interrelated. Further, the family has properties of its own that can be
known only by looking at the relationships and interactions among all
members.
, Apgar PhD LSW ACSW, Dr. Dawn (2015-05-11). Social Work ASWB
Masters Exam Guide: A Comprehensive Study Guide for Success (pp.
44-45). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
●● The family systems approach is based on several basic assumptions:.
Answer: 1. Each family is more than a sum of its members.
2. Each family is unique, due to the infinite variations in personal
characteristics and cultural and ideological styles.
3. A healthy family has flexibility, consistent structure, and effective
exchange of information.
4. The family is an interactional system whose component parts have
constantly shifting boundaries and varying degrees of resistance to
change.
5. Families must fulfill a variety of functions for each member, both
collectively and individually, if each member is to grow and develop.
6. Families strive for a sense of balance or homeostasis.
7. Negative feedback loops are those patterns of interaction that maintain
stability or constancy while minimizing change. Negative feedback
loops help to maintain homeostasis. Positive feedback loops, in contrast,
are patterns of interaction that facilitate change or movement toward
either growth or dissolution.
8. Families are seen as being goal oriented. The concept of equifinality
refers to the ability of the family system to accomplish the same goals
through different routes.
9. The concept of hierarchies describes how families organize
themselves into various smaller units or subsystems that are comprised
