AMFTRB Exam Questions with
Complete Solutions
Psuedomutality - ANSWERS-describes a systemic pretense of harmony and closeness that hides
conflict and interferes with intimacy (Lyman Wynne, 1940s)
Psuedohostility - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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) - ANSWERS-- Secure Attachment
- Insecure Attachment (Anxious-Avoidant)
- Insecure Attachment (Ambivalent-Resistant)
- Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment
Theodore Lidz - ANSWERS-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) - ANSWERS-Founded by Don Jackson and Nathan
Ackerman, edited by Jay Haley (1962)
Mental Research Institute (MRI) - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-Coined the term and theory "cybernetics"
General Systems Theory - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-Theory of Logical Types
Ludwig von Bertalanffy - ANSWERS-General Systems Theory
Milton Erickson - ANSWERS-Hypnosis and paradox
Gregory Bateson - ANSWERS-Human Communication Processes (influenced by Russell, Von
Bertalanffy, Wiener, Erickson)
MRI Systemic Therapy - ANSWERS-
Strategic Family Therapy - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-the study of information processing, feedback, and control in
communication systems
Boundaries - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-the term used to represent the concept of Boundary Interface
within literature of FT
Open systems - ANSWERS-interact regularly with the environment with relatively no inhibition
Jay Haley - ANSWERS-Strategic Family Therapy
founding editor of 1st journal in family therapy
Complete Solutions
Psuedomutality - ANSWERS-describes a systemic pretense of harmony and closeness that hides
conflict and interferes with intimacy (Lyman Wynne, 1940s)
Psuedohostility - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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) - ANSWERS-- Secure Attachment
- Insecure Attachment (Anxious-Avoidant)
- Insecure Attachment (Ambivalent-Resistant)
- Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment
Theodore Lidz - ANSWERS-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) - ANSWERS-Founded by Don Jackson and Nathan
Ackerman, edited by Jay Haley (1962)
Mental Research Institute (MRI) - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-Coined the term and theory "cybernetics"
General Systems Theory - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-Theory of Logical Types
Ludwig von Bertalanffy - ANSWERS-General Systems Theory
Milton Erickson - ANSWERS-Hypnosis and paradox
Gregory Bateson - ANSWERS-Human Communication Processes (influenced by Russell, Von
Bertalanffy, Wiener, Erickson)
MRI Systemic Therapy - ANSWERS-
Strategic Family Therapy - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-the study of information processing, feedback, and control in
communication systems
Boundaries - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-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 - ANSWERS-the term used to represent the concept of Boundary Interface
within literature of FT
Open systems - ANSWERS-interact regularly with the environment with relatively no inhibition
Jay Haley - ANSWERS-Strategic Family Therapy
founding editor of 1st journal in family therapy
