NSG 526 Exam 3 Family Nursing Questions and
Answers| Updated| Pass Guaranteed| Herzing
University
Q1. What does Bowen mean by an 'undifferentiated family ego mass'?
A. A family with clear boundaries and strong individuals
B. A family that has physically separated
C. A family with many generations living together
D. An emotional 'stuck-togetherness' in which members are fused and
lack separate identities
Answer: D. An emotional 'stuck-togetherness' in which members are fused
and lack separate identities
Rationale: Fusion means members' feelings and decisions are so
intertwined that individuality is lost; the greater the fusion, the more
vulnerable the family is to stress.
Q2. What is a triangle in Bowen's theory?
A. Three generations living together
B. A family with three children
C. A three-person emotional configuration that forms when anxiety in a
two-person relationship is diverted to a third person
D. A genogram symbol
Answer: C. A three-person emotional configuration that forms when
anxiety in a two-person relationship is diverted to a third person
Rationale: The triangle is the smallest stable relationship unit; it reduces
tension but leaves the dyadic problem unsolved.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 1
,Q3. A husband and wife who are in conflict both complain to their son
about each other. Which Bowen concept is most evident?
A. Emotional cutoff
B. Triangulation
C. Differentiation
D. Equifinality
Answer: B. Triangulation
Rationale: The son is pulled into the parents' conflict as the third point of
the triangle.
Q4. In a 'calm' triangle, how are the relationships typically arranged?
A. Two members are close while the third is in the outside position, but
tension is low
B. All three members are in conflict
C. All three are distant
D. The triangle has been resolved
Answer: A. Two members are close while the third is in the outside
position, but tension is low
Rationale: Under increased anxiety, the triangle becomes tense and may
recruit additional people, forming interlocking triangles.
Q5. Which statement describes emotional cutoff?
A. Resolving conflict through discussion
B. Strengthening ties
C. Moving for a job
D. Managing unresolved emotional attachment to family by withdrawing
or avoiding contact
Answer: D. Managing unresolved emotional attachment to family by
withdrawing or avoiding contact
Rationale: Cutoff reduces anxiety temporarily but does not increase
differentiation; it often leads to intense relationships elsewhere.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 2
,Q6. A young woman refuses to speak to her mother and never visits,
but she is highly reactive when her mother's name comes up. This
suggests:
A. High differentiation
B. A healthy boundary
C. Emotional cutoff with unresolved attachment
D. A clear role
Answer: C. Emotional cutoff with unresolved attachment
Rationale: Distance without resolution indicates the emotional issues
remain.
Q7. Which statement best describes multigenerational transmission
process in Bowen's theory?
A. Genetic disease only
B. Patterns of anxiety and level of differentiation are passed down
through generations
C. Wealth transferred to children
D. Cultural traditions only
Answer: B. Patterns of anxiety and level of differentiation are passed down
through generations
Rationale: Children are more or less differentiated than parents depending
on how much they are involved in family anxiety.
Q8. A genogram shows alcoholism, divorce and emotional cutoff
recurring in three generations. This pattern illustrates:
A. Multigenerational transmission
B. Equifinality
C. Structural change
D. Developmental delay
Answer: A. Multigenerational transmission
Rationale: Genograms help identify repeating relationship and functioning
patterns.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 3
, Q9. On Bowen's differentiation of self scale, a person at the low end is
most likely to:
A. Be calm and autonomous
B. Be unaffected by stress
C. Maintain separate beliefs
D. Be emotionally reactive and dependent on others' approval
Answer: D. Be emotionally reactive and dependent on others' approval
Rationale: Low differentiation means the person's functioning is driven by
emotional reactivity.
Q10. A highly differentiated person is able to:
A. Avoid all emotion
B. Cut off from family
C. Remain emotionally connected while maintaining a separate sense of
self under stress
D. Adopt others' beliefs
Answer: C. Remain emotionally connected while maintaining a separate
sense of self under stress
Rationale: Differentiation allows thinking and feeling to be balanced.
Q11. What is 'pseudo-self' in Bowen's theory?
A. A strong core identity
B. A borrowed, negotiable self that changes depending on relationships
C. A genetic trait
D. A fantasy
Answer: B. A borrowed, negotiable self that changes depending on
relationships
Rationale: A 'solid self' is based on firm beliefs and principles that are not
negotiable in relationships.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 4
Answers| Updated| Pass Guaranteed| Herzing
University
Q1. What does Bowen mean by an 'undifferentiated family ego mass'?
A. A family with clear boundaries and strong individuals
B. A family that has physically separated
C. A family with many generations living together
D. An emotional 'stuck-togetherness' in which members are fused and
lack separate identities
Answer: D. An emotional 'stuck-togetherness' in which members are fused
and lack separate identities
Rationale: Fusion means members' feelings and decisions are so
intertwined that individuality is lost; the greater the fusion, the more
vulnerable the family is to stress.
Q2. What is a triangle in Bowen's theory?
A. Three generations living together
B. A family with three children
C. A three-person emotional configuration that forms when anxiety in a
two-person relationship is diverted to a third person
D. A genogram symbol
Answer: C. A three-person emotional configuration that forms when
anxiety in a two-person relationship is diverted to a third person
Rationale: The triangle is the smallest stable relationship unit; it reduces
tension but leaves the dyadic problem unsolved.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 1
,Q3. A husband and wife who are in conflict both complain to their son
about each other. Which Bowen concept is most evident?
A. Emotional cutoff
B. Triangulation
C. Differentiation
D. Equifinality
Answer: B. Triangulation
Rationale: The son is pulled into the parents' conflict as the third point of
the triangle.
Q4. In a 'calm' triangle, how are the relationships typically arranged?
A. Two members are close while the third is in the outside position, but
tension is low
B. All three members are in conflict
C. All three are distant
D. The triangle has been resolved
Answer: A. Two members are close while the third is in the outside
position, but tension is low
Rationale: Under increased anxiety, the triangle becomes tense and may
recruit additional people, forming interlocking triangles.
Q5. Which statement describes emotional cutoff?
A. Resolving conflict through discussion
B. Strengthening ties
C. Moving for a job
D. Managing unresolved emotional attachment to family by withdrawing
or avoiding contact
Answer: D. Managing unresolved emotional attachment to family by
withdrawing or avoiding contact
Rationale: Cutoff reduces anxiety temporarily but does not increase
differentiation; it often leads to intense relationships elsewhere.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 2
,Q6. A young woman refuses to speak to her mother and never visits,
but she is highly reactive when her mother's name comes up. This
suggests:
A. High differentiation
B. A healthy boundary
C. Emotional cutoff with unresolved attachment
D. A clear role
Answer: C. Emotional cutoff with unresolved attachment
Rationale: Distance without resolution indicates the emotional issues
remain.
Q7. Which statement best describes multigenerational transmission
process in Bowen's theory?
A. Genetic disease only
B. Patterns of anxiety and level of differentiation are passed down
through generations
C. Wealth transferred to children
D. Cultural traditions only
Answer: B. Patterns of anxiety and level of differentiation are passed down
through generations
Rationale: Children are more or less differentiated than parents depending
on how much they are involved in family anxiety.
Q8. A genogram shows alcoholism, divorce and emotional cutoff
recurring in three generations. This pattern illustrates:
A. Multigenerational transmission
B. Equifinality
C. Structural change
D. Developmental delay
Answer: A. Multigenerational transmission
Rationale: Genograms help identify repeating relationship and functioning
patterns.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 3
, Q9. On Bowen's differentiation of self scale, a person at the low end is
most likely to:
A. Be calm and autonomous
B. Be unaffected by stress
C. Maintain separate beliefs
D. Be emotionally reactive and dependent on others' approval
Answer: D. Be emotionally reactive and dependent on others' approval
Rationale: Low differentiation means the person's functioning is driven by
emotional reactivity.
Q10. A highly differentiated person is able to:
A. Avoid all emotion
B. Cut off from family
C. Remain emotionally connected while maintaining a separate sense of
self under stress
D. Adopt others' beliefs
Answer: C. Remain emotionally connected while maintaining a separate
sense of self under stress
Rationale: Differentiation allows thinking and feeling to be balanced.
Q11. What is 'pseudo-self' in Bowen's theory?
A. A strong core identity
B. A borrowed, negotiable self that changes depending on relationships
C. A genetic trait
D. A fantasy
Answer: B. A borrowed, negotiable self that changes depending on
relationships
Rationale: A 'solid self' is based on firm beliefs and principles that are not
negotiable in relationships.
NSG 526 Exam 3 | Page 4
