PyC4808 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
ASSIGNMENT 1 -MCQ
Question 1
Systems thinking (also referred to as systems family therapy) is described as counter- cultural and
is a shift from the modernist perspective. Danie, a psychology student, describes himself as a
modernist thinker. Which of the following premises are consistent with the modernist way of
thinking, and which you would expect to be part of Danie’s descriptions of the world:
a. Causality is linear
b. Causality is recursive
c. We can discover reality which is separate from us
d. As an observer, we remain separate from that which we are observing
The correct answer is:
1. a) and c)
2. b), c) and d)
3. a), c) and d)
4. All of the above
The correct answer is 3) a, c and d. This implies that modernist thinking is linear, is discoverable
and the observer is seen as objective and separate from that which they are observing. A recursive
approach is linked to postmodernism and is therefore incorrect
Question 2
At the heart of individualism, the individual is regarded as the primary agent. In order to best
understand the content we are learning, and ensure logical consistency, epistemologies, theories
and assumptions must be logically linked. Although many of the individualistic theories (e.g.
psychoanalytic psychology) do appreciate one’s relationships with others, which of the following
theorists do not fit epistemologically with the systemic theory?
1. Gregory Bateson and Paul Watzlawick
2. Sigmund Freud and BF Skinner
3. Jay Haley and Carl Whitaker
4. None of the above
The correct answer is 2) Sigmund Freud and BF Skinner. Sigmund Freud is the founder of
psychoanalysis, and BF Skinner is regarded as the founder of Behaviourism – both of which are
linked to an individualistic and modernist perspective. Therefore, the epistemological premises do
not align with systems thinking. Gregory Bateson, Paul Watzlawick, Jay Haley, and Carl Whitaker are
theorists that have contributed to the systems way of thinking, and to this module. Remember,
ASSIGNMENT 1 -MCQ
Question 1
Systems thinking (also referred to as systems family therapy) is described as counter- cultural and
is a shift from the modernist perspective. Danie, a psychology student, describes himself as a
modernist thinker. Which of the following premises are consistent with the modernist way of
thinking, and which you would expect to be part of Danie’s descriptions of the world:
a. Causality is linear
b. Causality is recursive
c. We can discover reality which is separate from us
d. As an observer, we remain separate from that which we are observing
The correct answer is:
1. a) and c)
2. b), c) and d)
3. a), c) and d)
4. All of the above
The correct answer is 3) a, c and d. This implies that modernist thinking is linear, is discoverable
and the observer is seen as objective and separate from that which they are observing. A recursive
approach is linked to postmodernism and is therefore incorrect
Question 2
At the heart of individualism, the individual is regarded as the primary agent. In order to best
understand the content we are learning, and ensure logical consistency, epistemologies, theories
and assumptions must be logically linked. Although many of the individualistic theories (e.g.
psychoanalytic psychology) do appreciate one’s relationships with others, which of the following
theorists do not fit epistemologically with the systemic theory?
1. Gregory Bateson and Paul Watzlawick
2. Sigmund Freud and BF Skinner
3. Jay Haley and Carl Whitaker
4. None of the above
The correct answer is 2) Sigmund Freud and BF Skinner. Sigmund Freud is the founder of
psychoanalysis, and BF Skinner is regarded as the founder of Behaviourism – both of which are
linked to an individualistic and modernist perspective. Therefore, the epistemological premises do
not align with systems thinking. Gregory Bateson, Paul Watzlawick, Jay Haley, and Carl Whitaker are
theorists that have contributed to the systems way of thinking, and to this module. Remember,
