NURS 3016 UPDATED EVALUATION EXAMS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Ethnicity (Definition) - ✔✔Ethnicity refers to a shared cultural heritage that is shaped
by a combination of history, ancestry (including race), language, social class, religion,
and cultural traditions.
✔✔Race (Definition) - ✔✔Race is a socially constructed category used to classify
people based on perceived physical characteristics (such as skin colour, facial features,
or hair texture).
✔✔Six theoretical foundations of the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) - ✔✔1.
Postmodernism
2. Systems theory
3. Cybernetics
4. Communications theory
5. Change theory
6. Biology of cognition
✔✔Concepts of Postmodernism - ✔✔1. Pluralism
Recognizes that multiple perspectives and truths exist simultaneously.
There is no single, objective reality; different family members, cultures, or social groups
may experience the same event in different ways.
,Nurses use pluralism to respect each family member's viewpoint and co-create
understanding.
2. Knowledge as a Social Construct (Debate About Knowledge)
Knowledge is not fixed or universal; it is created and interpreted through social, cultural,
and personal contexts.
Postmodernism challenges the idea that professional or scientific knowledge is the only
valid source.
Nurses acknowledge that families have valuable knowledge about their own lives and
experiences.
✔✔Concepts of Systems Theory in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. Families as Part of Larger
Systems
A family is a subsystem of a larger social system (e.g., community, society, culture).
Families are also composed of subsystems (spousal, sibling, parent-child), each with
unique interactions.
2. The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Family members interact in ways that create emergent properties—behaviors, patterns,
and dynamics that cannot be understood by looking at individuals alone.
3. Interconnectedness and Ripple Effects
A change in one family member affects all members.
Example: A child's chronic illness impacts parental stress, sibling relationships, and
routines.
4. Balance Between Change and Stability (Homeostasis)
Families strive for stability, but they also must adapt to stressors, developmental
transitions, or external challenges.
Effective families maintain a dynamic equilibrium.
5. Circular Causality
Family behaviors are best understood as reciprocal and circular, not linear (cause →
effect).
Each member's actions influence others, creating feedback loops that reinforce or
modify patterns.
✔✔Concepts of Cybernetics in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. Self-Regulation
Family systems have the ability to self-regulate in order to maintain stability
(homeostasis).
Families adjust behaviors, roles, and routines to cope with stress, illness, or change.
2. Feedback Processes
Families use feedback loops to communicate, correct, and adapt behaviors.
Feedback can occur simultaneously at multiple system levels (e.g., parent-child, sibling,
and spousal subsystems).
, Feedback can be positive (promotes change) or negative (maintains stability).
✔✔Concepts of Communications Theory in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. All Nonverbal
Communication is Meaningful
Facial expressions, gestures, posture, tone, and eye contact convey information about
feelings, attitudes, and relationships.
Nurses must observe both verbal and nonverbal cues to fully understand family
interactions.
2. Two Major Channels of Communication
Digital channel: verbal, explicit language (words, symbols).
Analog channel: nonverbal, implicit cues (body language, tone, gestures).
Effective communication requires attention to both channels.
3. Dyadic Relationships: Symmetry and Complementarity
Symmetrical relationships: partners have similar levels of power or behavior.
Complementary relationships: partners have differing but interdependent roles.
Understanding these patterns helps nurses assess power dynamics and relational
functioning.
4. Two Levels of Communication
Content level: the literal information being conveyed.
Relationship level: the implied message about how parties relate to each other.
Misunderstandings often occur when the relationship message contradicts the content.
✔✔Concepts of Biology of Cognition in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. Objectivity-in-
Parentheses
There is no single "objective reality."
Reality is always interpreted through our own perceptions, experiences, and cognitive
structures.
This concept reminds nurses that understanding a family's situation requires
acknowledging their perspective, not imposing an "objective" view.
2. Bringing Forth Reality Through Interaction
Families and individuals construct their realities through interactions with:
The world (environment, events)
Themselves (thoughts, feelings, beliefs)
Others (family members, social systems)
Language and communication play a central role in shaping perception and meaning.
✔✔Role Strain - ✔✔Role strain occurs when a family member experiences difficulty
fulfilling their expected roles because they:
- Lack knowledge or skills for the role, or
- Face conflicting demands from multiple roles, making it hard to choose between them.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Ethnicity (Definition) - ✔✔Ethnicity refers to a shared cultural heritage that is shaped
by a combination of history, ancestry (including race), language, social class, religion,
and cultural traditions.
✔✔Race (Definition) - ✔✔Race is a socially constructed category used to classify
people based on perceived physical characteristics (such as skin colour, facial features,
or hair texture).
✔✔Six theoretical foundations of the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) - ✔✔1.
Postmodernism
2. Systems theory
3. Cybernetics
4. Communications theory
5. Change theory
6. Biology of cognition
✔✔Concepts of Postmodernism - ✔✔1. Pluralism
Recognizes that multiple perspectives and truths exist simultaneously.
There is no single, objective reality; different family members, cultures, or social groups
may experience the same event in different ways.
,Nurses use pluralism to respect each family member's viewpoint and co-create
understanding.
2. Knowledge as a Social Construct (Debate About Knowledge)
Knowledge is not fixed or universal; it is created and interpreted through social, cultural,
and personal contexts.
Postmodernism challenges the idea that professional or scientific knowledge is the only
valid source.
Nurses acknowledge that families have valuable knowledge about their own lives and
experiences.
✔✔Concepts of Systems Theory in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. Families as Part of Larger
Systems
A family is a subsystem of a larger social system (e.g., community, society, culture).
Families are also composed of subsystems (spousal, sibling, parent-child), each with
unique interactions.
2. The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Family members interact in ways that create emergent properties—behaviors, patterns,
and dynamics that cannot be understood by looking at individuals alone.
3. Interconnectedness and Ripple Effects
A change in one family member affects all members.
Example: A child's chronic illness impacts parental stress, sibling relationships, and
routines.
4. Balance Between Change and Stability (Homeostasis)
Families strive for stability, but they also must adapt to stressors, developmental
transitions, or external challenges.
Effective families maintain a dynamic equilibrium.
5. Circular Causality
Family behaviors are best understood as reciprocal and circular, not linear (cause →
effect).
Each member's actions influence others, creating feedback loops that reinforce or
modify patterns.
✔✔Concepts of Cybernetics in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. Self-Regulation
Family systems have the ability to self-regulate in order to maintain stability
(homeostasis).
Families adjust behaviors, roles, and routines to cope with stress, illness, or change.
2. Feedback Processes
Families use feedback loops to communicate, correct, and adapt behaviors.
Feedback can occur simultaneously at multiple system levels (e.g., parent-child, sibling,
and spousal subsystems).
, Feedback can be positive (promotes change) or negative (maintains stability).
✔✔Concepts of Communications Theory in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. All Nonverbal
Communication is Meaningful
Facial expressions, gestures, posture, tone, and eye contact convey information about
feelings, attitudes, and relationships.
Nurses must observe both verbal and nonverbal cues to fully understand family
interactions.
2. Two Major Channels of Communication
Digital channel: verbal, explicit language (words, symbols).
Analog channel: nonverbal, implicit cues (body language, tone, gestures).
Effective communication requires attention to both channels.
3. Dyadic Relationships: Symmetry and Complementarity
Symmetrical relationships: partners have similar levels of power or behavior.
Complementary relationships: partners have differing but interdependent roles.
Understanding these patterns helps nurses assess power dynamics and relational
functioning.
4. Two Levels of Communication
Content level: the literal information being conveyed.
Relationship level: the implied message about how parties relate to each other.
Misunderstandings often occur when the relationship message contradicts the content.
✔✔Concepts of Biology of Cognition in Family Nursing - ✔✔1. Objectivity-in-
Parentheses
There is no single "objective reality."
Reality is always interpreted through our own perceptions, experiences, and cognitive
structures.
This concept reminds nurses that understanding a family's situation requires
acknowledging their perspective, not imposing an "objective" view.
2. Bringing Forth Reality Through Interaction
Families and individuals construct their realities through interactions with:
The world (environment, events)
Themselves (thoughts, feelings, beliefs)
Others (family members, social systems)
Language and communication play a central role in shaping perception and meaning.
✔✔Role Strain - ✔✔Role strain occurs when a family member experiences difficulty
fulfilling their expected roles because they:
- Lack knowledge or skills for the role, or
- Face conflicting demands from multiple roles, making it hard to choose between them.
