AMFTRB Exam Questions and
Correct Answer
Psuedomutality - Answer-describes a systemic pretense of harmony and closeness that
hides conflict and interferes with intimacy (Lyman Wynne, 1940s)
Psuedohostility - Answer-Arguing and bickering that hides "pathological alignments" in
families
A volatile and intense way of disguising and distorting both affection and splits
Prevents open communication and quality relationships (Lyman Wynne, 1940s)
Rubber-Fence Boundary - Answer-Families are seemingly yielding, but are in fact
nearly impermeable to information from the outside; boundaries bind them together in
their resistance to separation" Appear open and flexible but are closed. (Lyman Wynne,
1940s)
John Bowlby - Answer-Attachment theory. Identified the characteristics of a child's
attachment to his/her caregiver and the phases that a child experiences when
separated from the caregiver.
Different attachment styles (Bowlby, 1949) - Answer-- Secure Attachment
- Insecure Attachment (Anxious-Avoidant)
- Insecure Attachment (Ambivalent-Resistant)
- Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment
Theodore Lidz - Answer-Professor out of Yale, researched schizophrenia and the
marital couple's influence on the development of schizophrenia in a child (1950s)
-Marital Schism: Parents overly focused on their own problems which harms the
marriage, individuals, and the children.
-Marital Skew: One parent dominates the family and the other is dependent.
"Family process" (peer-reviewed journal) - Answer-Founded by Don Jackson and
Nathan Ackerman, edited by Jay Haley (1962)
Mental Research Institute (MRI) - Answer-MRI; Mental Research Institute A center for
the study of families in Palo, Alto, CA whose researchers and practioners- Bateson,
Jackson, Satir, Weakland, Fry, and Haley studied schizophrenia and family interactions,
communication, and cybernetic theory. They emphasized process and interactional
sequences rather than structure, and distinguished between first-order and second-
order change. They developed a version of Brief Family Therapy based on the notion
that the "problem" or tx focus, stems from the failed solution previously attempted by the
family.
,Norbert Wiener - Answer-Coined the term and theory "cybernetics"
General Systems Theory - Answer-living systems are like cybernetic systems that are
equipped w/ complex feed systems capable of maintaining a desired state of affairs (i.e.
homeostasis) → leads to Bowlby's system of behavior control
Double bind theory - Answer-distinct pattern of communication in which one individual
receives contradictory commands from which there is no escape (lose, lose situation)
6 characteristic of a double bind - Answer-1) Communication involves 2 or more people
who are involved in an important emotional relationship.
2) The pattern of communication and the relationship is a repeated experience.
3) The communication involves a primary negative injunction--or a command not to do
(some act) or not to NOT do (some act), either of which come with a threat of
punishment.
4) A second abstract injunction is given that contradicts the primary injunction but at a
more abstract level and is usually nonverbal. This also occurs under the threat of
punishment.
5) A third negative injunction both demands a response and prevents escape,
effectively binding the recipient to the environment in which these patterns exist.
6) When the above double bind messages have been communicated enough times, the
individual has become conditioned which no longer requires all of the above mentioned
criteria to be present in order to elicit the same intensity in response (panic, rage,
schizophrenia).
Bertrand Russell - Answer-Theory of Logical Types
Ludwig von Bertalanffy - Answer-General Systems Theory
Milton Erickson - Answer-Hypnosis and paradox
Gregory Bateson - Answer-Human Communication Processes (influenced by Russell,
Von Bertalanffy, Wiener, Erickson)
MRI Systemic Therapy - Answer-
Strategic Family Therapy - Answer-Jay Haley
Emphasizes change techniques over theory. Influenced by Milton Erickson
Therapist is very directive, especially useful with change-resistant families
Techniques: Take charge role, directives, paradoxical directives, ordeals, out-
positioning, reframing
Milan Systemic Family Therapy - Answer-A theory and therapeutic model influenced by
Bateson and the MRI Group, originally developed in Italy by Selvini Palazzoli, Boscolo,
Cecchin, and Prata. The primary techniques associated with the early Milan group were
,rituals and positive connotations. The Milan Group split in the early 1980s with Selvini
Palazzoli and Prata forming one group, adhering to the strategic model and developing
a ritualistic technique, invariant prescription, to counteract the dirty game, or power
struggle between the parents and their child. Boscolo and Cecchin moved away from
the strategic approach, developing a collaborative style of therapy. In this model,
problems are maintained when the family holds to an old epistemology that does not fit
its current circumstance. The therapist introduces new information indirectly by asking
questions and the family solves problems themselves as they develop a new
epistemology. The therapist/client interactions within the session are the treatment. In
their interviews they displayed a curious attitude about the family and the meanings they
derived from their experiences and interchanges.
General Systems Theory definition - Answer-GST proposed that all living systems share
universal characteristics. Fundamental principle is idea that the whole of the system is
more than the sum of its parts. To understand the system as a whole, must understand
the dynamic, circular functioning between the parts.
Cybernetics - Answer-the study of information processing, feedback, and control in
communication systems
Boundaries - Answer-theoretical lines of demarcation in a family that define a system as
an entity and separate the subsystems from one another and the system from its
environment.
Boundary Interface - Answer-The regions between each subsystem of the family and
between the family and the supra-system. In family systems therapy this interface is
referred to as the familial boundary.
Familial Boundary - Answer-the term used to represent the concept of Boundary
Interface within literature of FT
Open systems - Answer-interact regularly with the environment with relatively no
inhibition
Jay Haley - Answer-Strategic Family Therapy
founding editor of 1st journal in family therapy
schism (Theodore Lidz) - Answer-family division into competing groups
Adlerian Family Therapy - Answer-An approach that is based on the premise that
parents and children often become locked in repetitive, negative interactions based on
mistaken goals that motivate all parties involved.
"stuck family" (Adlerian) - Answer-parents assume roles based on their expectations of
the children
, strength of Bowen Family Therapy - Answer-attention upon past family interaction as a
means by which to avoid future problems
Hermeneutics - Answer-the interpretation of meaning
CBT Therapy is also known as... - Answer-"reality therapy"
Brief Therapy (earliest model) was developed by... - Answer-Milton Erickson
the genogram was developed/popularized by BLANK & BLANK - Answer-Monica
McGoldrick & Randy Gerson
mystification - Answer-n. The act of artfully perplexing. Confused, befuddle, mask what
is going on (RD Laing)
2 Essential Theme's of Bowen's theory - Answer-1) Individuality
2) Togetherness
Individuality (Bowen) - Answer-cognitive capacity to realize our creative, individual
potential
rooted in individuality and is non-reactive - exclusively rational and observable in
physical world
Togetherness (Bowen) - Answer-affective capacity that is more reactive and driven
toward ability to communicate with and connect to others
rooted in togetherness, subjectively experienced, prone to emotional reactivity (offers
survival value)
Triangle (Bowen) - Answer-three-person relationship system.
a triangle is the smallest stable relationship system.
Nuclear Family Emotional System (Bowen) - Answer-4 basic relationship patterns that
can lead to problems within the family system
Present in multiple family structures (not just the nuclear family)
Family tension arises when external or internal stressors occur: tension appears in the
form of anxiety within one of the patterns below:
1) Marital conflict
2) Dysfunction in one spouse
3) Impairment of one or more children
4) Emotional distance (fusion - little overt conflict)
Undifferentiated family ego mass (Bowen) - Answer-Emotional stuck-togetherness or
fusion of the family - prominent in schizophrenic families.
Family Projection Process (Bowen) - Answer-The primary way parents transmit their
emotional problems to a child. The projection process can impair the functioning of one
Correct Answer
Psuedomutality - Answer-describes a systemic pretense of harmony and closeness that
hides conflict and interferes with intimacy (Lyman Wynne, 1940s)
Psuedohostility - Answer-Arguing and bickering that hides "pathological alignments" in
families
A volatile and intense way of disguising and distorting both affection and splits
Prevents open communication and quality relationships (Lyman Wynne, 1940s)
Rubber-Fence Boundary - Answer-Families are seemingly yielding, but are in fact
nearly impermeable to information from the outside; boundaries bind them together in
their resistance to separation" Appear open and flexible but are closed. (Lyman Wynne,
1940s)
John Bowlby - Answer-Attachment theory. Identified the characteristics of a child's
attachment to his/her caregiver and the phases that a child experiences when
separated from the caregiver.
Different attachment styles (Bowlby, 1949) - Answer-- Secure Attachment
- Insecure Attachment (Anxious-Avoidant)
- Insecure Attachment (Ambivalent-Resistant)
- Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment
Theodore Lidz - Answer-Professor out of Yale, researched schizophrenia and the
marital couple's influence on the development of schizophrenia in a child (1950s)
-Marital Schism: Parents overly focused on their own problems which harms the
marriage, individuals, and the children.
-Marital Skew: One parent dominates the family and the other is dependent.
"Family process" (peer-reviewed journal) - Answer-Founded by Don Jackson and
Nathan Ackerman, edited by Jay Haley (1962)
Mental Research Institute (MRI) - Answer-MRI; Mental Research Institute A center for
the study of families in Palo, Alto, CA whose researchers and practioners- Bateson,
Jackson, Satir, Weakland, Fry, and Haley studied schizophrenia and family interactions,
communication, and cybernetic theory. They emphasized process and interactional
sequences rather than structure, and distinguished between first-order and second-
order change. They developed a version of Brief Family Therapy based on the notion
that the "problem" or tx focus, stems from the failed solution previously attempted by the
family.
,Norbert Wiener - Answer-Coined the term and theory "cybernetics"
General Systems Theory - Answer-living systems are like cybernetic systems that are
equipped w/ complex feed systems capable of maintaining a desired state of affairs (i.e.
homeostasis) → leads to Bowlby's system of behavior control
Double bind theory - Answer-distinct pattern of communication in which one individual
receives contradictory commands from which there is no escape (lose, lose situation)
6 characteristic of a double bind - Answer-1) Communication involves 2 or more people
who are involved in an important emotional relationship.
2) The pattern of communication and the relationship is a repeated experience.
3) The communication involves a primary negative injunction--or a command not to do
(some act) or not to NOT do (some act), either of which come with a threat of
punishment.
4) A second abstract injunction is given that contradicts the primary injunction but at a
more abstract level and is usually nonverbal. This also occurs under the threat of
punishment.
5) A third negative injunction both demands a response and prevents escape,
effectively binding the recipient to the environment in which these patterns exist.
6) When the above double bind messages have been communicated enough times, the
individual has become conditioned which no longer requires all of the above mentioned
criteria to be present in order to elicit the same intensity in response (panic, rage,
schizophrenia).
Bertrand Russell - Answer-Theory of Logical Types
Ludwig von Bertalanffy - Answer-General Systems Theory
Milton Erickson - Answer-Hypnosis and paradox
Gregory Bateson - Answer-Human Communication Processes (influenced by Russell,
Von Bertalanffy, Wiener, Erickson)
MRI Systemic Therapy - Answer-
Strategic Family Therapy - Answer-Jay Haley
Emphasizes change techniques over theory. Influenced by Milton Erickson
Therapist is very directive, especially useful with change-resistant families
Techniques: Take charge role, directives, paradoxical directives, ordeals, out-
positioning, reframing
Milan Systemic Family Therapy - Answer-A theory and therapeutic model influenced by
Bateson and the MRI Group, originally developed in Italy by Selvini Palazzoli, Boscolo,
Cecchin, and Prata. The primary techniques associated with the early Milan group were
,rituals and positive connotations. The Milan Group split in the early 1980s with Selvini
Palazzoli and Prata forming one group, adhering to the strategic model and developing
a ritualistic technique, invariant prescription, to counteract the dirty game, or power
struggle between the parents and their child. Boscolo and Cecchin moved away from
the strategic approach, developing a collaborative style of therapy. In this model,
problems are maintained when the family holds to an old epistemology that does not fit
its current circumstance. The therapist introduces new information indirectly by asking
questions and the family solves problems themselves as they develop a new
epistemology. The therapist/client interactions within the session are the treatment. In
their interviews they displayed a curious attitude about the family and the meanings they
derived from their experiences and interchanges.
General Systems Theory definition - Answer-GST proposed that all living systems share
universal characteristics. Fundamental principle is idea that the whole of the system is
more than the sum of its parts. To understand the system as a whole, must understand
the dynamic, circular functioning between the parts.
Cybernetics - Answer-the study of information processing, feedback, and control in
communication systems
Boundaries - Answer-theoretical lines of demarcation in a family that define a system as
an entity and separate the subsystems from one another and the system from its
environment.
Boundary Interface - Answer-The regions between each subsystem of the family and
between the family and the supra-system. In family systems therapy this interface is
referred to as the familial boundary.
Familial Boundary - Answer-the term used to represent the concept of Boundary
Interface within literature of FT
Open systems - Answer-interact regularly with the environment with relatively no
inhibition
Jay Haley - Answer-Strategic Family Therapy
founding editor of 1st journal in family therapy
schism (Theodore Lidz) - Answer-family division into competing groups
Adlerian Family Therapy - Answer-An approach that is based on the premise that
parents and children often become locked in repetitive, negative interactions based on
mistaken goals that motivate all parties involved.
"stuck family" (Adlerian) - Answer-parents assume roles based on their expectations of
the children
, strength of Bowen Family Therapy - Answer-attention upon past family interaction as a
means by which to avoid future problems
Hermeneutics - Answer-the interpretation of meaning
CBT Therapy is also known as... - Answer-"reality therapy"
Brief Therapy (earliest model) was developed by... - Answer-Milton Erickson
the genogram was developed/popularized by BLANK & BLANK - Answer-Monica
McGoldrick & Randy Gerson
mystification - Answer-n. The act of artfully perplexing. Confused, befuddle, mask what
is going on (RD Laing)
2 Essential Theme's of Bowen's theory - Answer-1) Individuality
2) Togetherness
Individuality (Bowen) - Answer-cognitive capacity to realize our creative, individual
potential
rooted in individuality and is non-reactive - exclusively rational and observable in
physical world
Togetherness (Bowen) - Answer-affective capacity that is more reactive and driven
toward ability to communicate with and connect to others
rooted in togetherness, subjectively experienced, prone to emotional reactivity (offers
survival value)
Triangle (Bowen) - Answer-three-person relationship system.
a triangle is the smallest stable relationship system.
Nuclear Family Emotional System (Bowen) - Answer-4 basic relationship patterns that
can lead to problems within the family system
Present in multiple family structures (not just the nuclear family)
Family tension arises when external or internal stressors occur: tension appears in the
form of anxiety within one of the patterns below:
1) Marital conflict
2) Dysfunction in one spouse
3) Impairment of one or more children
4) Emotional distance (fusion - little overt conflict)
Undifferentiated family ego mass (Bowen) - Answer-Emotional stuck-togetherness or
fusion of the family - prominent in schizophrenic families.
Family Projection Process (Bowen) - Answer-The primary way parents transmit their
emotional problems to a child. The projection process can impair the functioning of one
