MFT Basic Marital and Family Therapy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which therapeutic concept describes the process by which family members unconsciously assign roles to one another to maintain homeostasis?
- Triangulation
- Role assignment
- Projective identification (Correct answer)
- Scapegoating
Correct answer: Projective identification
Projective identification is the unconscious process where one person projects an unwanted part of the self onto another, who then identifies with and enacts that role.
Question 2: In emotionally focused therapy (EFT), what are the two primary negative interactional cycles identified by Sue Johnson?
- Attack-withdraw and freeze-flight
- Pursue-withdraw and mutual withdrawal (Correct answer)
- Enmeshment and disengagement
- Attack-attack and passive-aggressive cycles
Correct answer: Pursue-withdraw and mutual withdrawal
EFT identifies pursue-withdraw (one partner demands while the other distances) and mutual withdrawal (both partners disengage) as the two core negative cycles.
Question 3: A therapist using the Milan systemic approach asks a family member how they think their sibling feels about the parents' arguing. This is an example of:
- Circular questioning (Correct answer)
- Reframing
- Enactment
- Externalizing
Correct answer: Circular questioning
Circular questioning asks each family member to comment on the relationships or behaviors of other family members, revealing relational patterns and differences.
Question 4: In Bowen family systems theory, what term describes the degree to which a person can maintain a clear sense of self while remaining emotionally connected to others?
- Triangulation
- Differentiation of self (Correct answer)
- Emotional cutoff
- Multigenerational transmission
Correct answer: Differentiation of self
Differentiation of self refers to the ability to balance intellectual and emotional functioning and maintain individuality within relationships without emotional fusion.
Question 5: Which structural family therapy technique involves the therapist joining with the family's style and language to build alliance before challenging dysfunctional patterns?
- Reframing
- Mimesis (Correct answer)
- Enactment
- Unbalancing
Correct answer: Mimesis
Mimesis is Minuchin's technique of adopting the family's communication style, affect, and tempo to build rapport and reduce resistance.
Question 6: A couple reports that their arguments always escalate into shouting matches. From a social learning perspective, this pattern is best explained by:
- Insecure attachment styles
- Reciprocal negative reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Undifferentiated ego mass
- Coercive control dynamics
Correct answer: Reciprocal negative reinforcement
Reciprocal negative reinforcement occurs when partners mutually reinforce aversive behaviors — each person's hostile response is reinforced when it causes the other to back down.
Question 7: In narrative therapy, what is the term for the process of building a new, preferred story by finding evidence that contradicts the problem-saturated story?
- Re-authoring
- Scaffolding
- Unique outcomes (Correct answer)
- Witnessing
Correct answer: Unique outcomes
Unique outcomes (or sparkling moments) are exceptions to the dominant problem story that serve as entry points for constructing an alternative, preferred narrative.
