Marriage and Family National Licensing
Exam
*
ABC-X Family Crisis Model - ANS-Reuben Hill's model used to explain whether or not a
stressful event would result in a crisis in some families but not in others. A = the stressor, B =
the family's crisis-meeting resources, C = the family's definition of the stressor, and X = the
crisis.
Accommodation - ANS-a variety of engagement techniques, such as joining, used principally by
structural family therapists in which the therapist adapts him/herself to the family's style of
interacting.
AAMFT - ANS-American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
AAMFT Code of Ethics - ANS-A set of ethical guidelines and rules that all members of AAMFT
are required to understand and to follow.
Acculturation - ANS-The process by which immigrant group members adjust to the culture of
their new country.
Adaptability - ANS-A measure of the family's ability to respond and adapt to changes in their
lives (Olson's Circumplex Model). Also known as "flexibility". Families are rated at four levels:
rigid, structured, flexible, and chaotic.
AIDS (Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome) - ANS-A chronic and infectious disease in which the
body's immune system is damaged, making a person vulnerable to a number of serious,
sometimes fatal, infections and cancers.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) - ANS-A self-help group that uses a 12-step program for recovery
from alcohol addiction.
Alliance - ANS-1. a bond or affiliation between two or more family members. They differ from
coalitions in that they are generally not hidden.
2. In the domestic violence literature, refers to the redemptive phase of the abuse cycle, in
which the perpetrator promises to never act violently again and the victim agrees to participate
in that goal.
Allopoetic Systems - ANS-Originated by postmodern Chilean biologist, Maturana: systems that
can be controlled from the outside, such as machines.
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) - ANS-A method of statistical analysis which enables researchers
to determine the likelihood that a variable being measured (dependent variable) is associated
,with a second variable (independent variable) by chance alone. If the deviation (variance) from
the norm (frequency of association expected by chance alone) is sufficiently large, the variables
are likely to be causally related.
Antilibidinal Ego - ANS-From object relations theory, that part of the ego that is formed from
interactions with the rejecting object.
Antilibidinal System - ANS-From object relations theory, a repressed system within the ego
characterized by aggression, rage, and contempt.
As If Structure - ANS-From symbolic-experiential therapy, family members are encouraged to
freely experiment as if they were in the role of the other, so long as they understand that the
role-play is symbolic. The process allows family members to alternately experiment and return
to their secure roles.
Autopoetic Systems - ANS-Originated by postmodern Chilean biologist, Maturana, systems that
are self-organized and self-maintaining, such as biological and human systems. It can be
described by second-order cybernetics.
Avoider - ANS-From Satir's experiential family therapy, one of five communication styles. They
tend to destract others from potential conflict by acting helpless, weak, and lacking an
understanding.
Balancing Power - ANS-Equalizing access to power in a couple which is overly organized by a
hierarchy.
Baseline - ANS-A beginning observable, stable performance measure against which change,
particularly behavioral change, can be measured.
Battle for Initiative - ANS-Formulated by Whitaker (symbolic-experiential therapy), it follows the
battle for structure. In this second battle, the family takes back from the therapist its authority to
make choices about what is discussed and about decisions that affect their lives.
Battle for Structure - ANS-Described by Whitaker as the therapist's demand that the family
capitulate to his/her way of conducting the therapy, particularly during the initial stages. It is
followed by the battle for initiative.
Beavers - Timberlawn Model - ANS-An assessment tool used to rate the dimensions of
competence and style in a family's functioning. Competence dimensions are: adequate, optimal,
midrange, borderline, and severely dysfunctional. Stylistic dimensions are: centripetal,
centrifugal, and mixed.
,Behavioral Exchange Theory - ANS-A way of describing relationships in terms of costs and
benefits. Functional relationships have plentiful access to rewards and relatively few costs, while
distressed relationships have a scarcity of rewards relative to costs.
Behavioral Family Therapy (BFT) - ANS-A theory and therapeutic model developed by
PATERSON, REID (and others). Based on principles of learning and behavior change. All family
members are seen as part of the problem, and symptoms are reformulated into concrete
observable behaviors, each of which will be rewarded, or extinguished.
Behavioral Parent Training - BPT - ANS-A program for training parents in the use of contingency
management to modify or extinguish unwanted behaviors and reinforce desirable behaviors in
children.
Bicultural - ANS-People who belong to more than one culture and who are able to alternate
between the cultures, adjusting temporarily to each depending on the circumstance.
Bilateral Pseudo-Therapy - ANS-From symbolic-experiential therapy, the tendency in some
families for family members to be therapists to one another. Therapists demand that the therapy
be turned over to them, asserting that the family has failed in its efforts at self-therapy
Bilateral Transference - ANS-A therapeutic stance in symbolic-experiential therapy in which the
therapist adopts the language, accent, rhythm, or posture of the family.
Biobehavioral - ANS-Biological factors that influence behavior, e.g. depression, that is caused,
in part, by faulty neurochemistry.
Bi-Modal Feedback Mechanism - ANS-From Ashby, the rule-bound mechanism by which a
system remains unchanged so long as the internal or external environment is stable, but when
the fluctuation exceeds the range of stability the system must respond in some new way. The
system either breaks down or it makes a leap into new levels of functioning. The change results
in a new set of patterns which, like the old pattern, is also bound by rules, and it, too, remains
unchanged, so long as the environment is stable.
Binuclear Family - ANS-Families in which the parents are divorced, have remarried, and formed
two intact nuclear families.
Blamer - ANS-From Satir's experiential family therapy, one of five communication styles. They
judge and complain, often for the purpose of bullying others into accepting his/her preferences.
Boundary - ANS-In Minuchin's structural family therapy, boundaries are hypothetical dividers
between or among subsystems within the family or between systems. They are defined spatially
by the ways family members align with one another. They are set by the implicit or explicit rules
concerning who participates in which subsystem and in what matter. They are described as
either rigid, clear, or diffuse.
, Boundary Interface - ANS-The regions between each subsystem of the family and between the
family and the suprasystem. In family systems therapy this interface is referred to as the familial
boundary.
Boundary Making - ANS-A structural therapy technique in which the therapist establishes a
functional semi-permeable (clear) boundary where either a rigid or diffuse boundary had existed
previously.
Bowenian Family Therapy - ANS-Bowen's theory and therapeutic model is based on the family's
emotional system, the differentiation of self within one's family, and the multi-generational
transmission of emotions and family patterns.
Brief Family Therapy - ANS-A model of problem-focused and time-limited therapy developed by
the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA. Milton Erickson and others.
Caring Days - ANS-From behavioral marital therapy, each partner identifies behaviors that
his/her partner finds enjoyable and makes a commitment to increasing those behaviors.
Case-Specific Symptom Prescription - ANS-A therapeutic technique of the strategic model, in
which symptomatic or other undesirable behaviors are paradoxically encouraged in order to
lessen such behavior or bring it under conscious control.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) - ANS-The U.S. Government agency that, among other
things, tracks the incidence of communicable diseases and defines criteria for diagnosis of
AIDS.
Central Ego - ANS-From object relations theory, one of three parts of the ego. It is conscious,
adaptable, and free to deal with future experiences with attachment figures in reasonable ways.
It maintains its own object, the ideal object.
Centrifugal - ANS-Defined by Beavers as part of the Beavers-Timberlawn Model, a family
system dynamic in which members are expelled or encouraged to operate at the outer periphery
and seek gratification outside the family.
Centripetal - ANS-Defined by Beavers as part of the Beavers-Timberlawn Model, a family
system dynamic in which members are tightly bound to one another emotionally and
encouraged to seek gratification from one another.
Circularity (Circular Causality) - ANS-The notion held by the Milan systemic group that causality
in families cannot be thought of as a simple, single cause and effect relationship (linear
causality). Instead, events, behaviors, and interactions are seen in a more complex way, as
mutually influencing one another (feedback loops). Each is the effect of a prior cause and in turn
influences future behaviors. Family system events create an endless (and beginning-less)
Exam
*
ABC-X Family Crisis Model - ANS-Reuben Hill's model used to explain whether or not a
stressful event would result in a crisis in some families but not in others. A = the stressor, B =
the family's crisis-meeting resources, C = the family's definition of the stressor, and X = the
crisis.
Accommodation - ANS-a variety of engagement techniques, such as joining, used principally by
structural family therapists in which the therapist adapts him/herself to the family's style of
interacting.
AAMFT - ANS-American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
AAMFT Code of Ethics - ANS-A set of ethical guidelines and rules that all members of AAMFT
are required to understand and to follow.
Acculturation - ANS-The process by which immigrant group members adjust to the culture of
their new country.
Adaptability - ANS-A measure of the family's ability to respond and adapt to changes in their
lives (Olson's Circumplex Model). Also known as "flexibility". Families are rated at four levels:
rigid, structured, flexible, and chaotic.
AIDS (Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome) - ANS-A chronic and infectious disease in which the
body's immune system is damaged, making a person vulnerable to a number of serious,
sometimes fatal, infections and cancers.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) - ANS-A self-help group that uses a 12-step program for recovery
from alcohol addiction.
Alliance - ANS-1. a bond or affiliation between two or more family members. They differ from
coalitions in that they are generally not hidden.
2. In the domestic violence literature, refers to the redemptive phase of the abuse cycle, in
which the perpetrator promises to never act violently again and the victim agrees to participate
in that goal.
Allopoetic Systems - ANS-Originated by postmodern Chilean biologist, Maturana: systems that
can be controlled from the outside, such as machines.
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) - ANS-A method of statistical analysis which enables researchers
to determine the likelihood that a variable being measured (dependent variable) is associated
,with a second variable (independent variable) by chance alone. If the deviation (variance) from
the norm (frequency of association expected by chance alone) is sufficiently large, the variables
are likely to be causally related.
Antilibidinal Ego - ANS-From object relations theory, that part of the ego that is formed from
interactions with the rejecting object.
Antilibidinal System - ANS-From object relations theory, a repressed system within the ego
characterized by aggression, rage, and contempt.
As If Structure - ANS-From symbolic-experiential therapy, family members are encouraged to
freely experiment as if they were in the role of the other, so long as they understand that the
role-play is symbolic. The process allows family members to alternately experiment and return
to their secure roles.
Autopoetic Systems - ANS-Originated by postmodern Chilean biologist, Maturana, systems that
are self-organized and self-maintaining, such as biological and human systems. It can be
described by second-order cybernetics.
Avoider - ANS-From Satir's experiential family therapy, one of five communication styles. They
tend to destract others from potential conflict by acting helpless, weak, and lacking an
understanding.
Balancing Power - ANS-Equalizing access to power in a couple which is overly organized by a
hierarchy.
Baseline - ANS-A beginning observable, stable performance measure against which change,
particularly behavioral change, can be measured.
Battle for Initiative - ANS-Formulated by Whitaker (symbolic-experiential therapy), it follows the
battle for structure. In this second battle, the family takes back from the therapist its authority to
make choices about what is discussed and about decisions that affect their lives.
Battle for Structure - ANS-Described by Whitaker as the therapist's demand that the family
capitulate to his/her way of conducting the therapy, particularly during the initial stages. It is
followed by the battle for initiative.
Beavers - Timberlawn Model - ANS-An assessment tool used to rate the dimensions of
competence and style in a family's functioning. Competence dimensions are: adequate, optimal,
midrange, borderline, and severely dysfunctional. Stylistic dimensions are: centripetal,
centrifugal, and mixed.
,Behavioral Exchange Theory - ANS-A way of describing relationships in terms of costs and
benefits. Functional relationships have plentiful access to rewards and relatively few costs, while
distressed relationships have a scarcity of rewards relative to costs.
Behavioral Family Therapy (BFT) - ANS-A theory and therapeutic model developed by
PATERSON, REID (and others). Based on principles of learning and behavior change. All family
members are seen as part of the problem, and symptoms are reformulated into concrete
observable behaviors, each of which will be rewarded, or extinguished.
Behavioral Parent Training - BPT - ANS-A program for training parents in the use of contingency
management to modify or extinguish unwanted behaviors and reinforce desirable behaviors in
children.
Bicultural - ANS-People who belong to more than one culture and who are able to alternate
between the cultures, adjusting temporarily to each depending on the circumstance.
Bilateral Pseudo-Therapy - ANS-From symbolic-experiential therapy, the tendency in some
families for family members to be therapists to one another. Therapists demand that the therapy
be turned over to them, asserting that the family has failed in its efforts at self-therapy
Bilateral Transference - ANS-A therapeutic stance in symbolic-experiential therapy in which the
therapist adopts the language, accent, rhythm, or posture of the family.
Biobehavioral - ANS-Biological factors that influence behavior, e.g. depression, that is caused,
in part, by faulty neurochemistry.
Bi-Modal Feedback Mechanism - ANS-From Ashby, the rule-bound mechanism by which a
system remains unchanged so long as the internal or external environment is stable, but when
the fluctuation exceeds the range of stability the system must respond in some new way. The
system either breaks down or it makes a leap into new levels of functioning. The change results
in a new set of patterns which, like the old pattern, is also bound by rules, and it, too, remains
unchanged, so long as the environment is stable.
Binuclear Family - ANS-Families in which the parents are divorced, have remarried, and formed
two intact nuclear families.
Blamer - ANS-From Satir's experiential family therapy, one of five communication styles. They
judge and complain, often for the purpose of bullying others into accepting his/her preferences.
Boundary - ANS-In Minuchin's structural family therapy, boundaries are hypothetical dividers
between or among subsystems within the family or between systems. They are defined spatially
by the ways family members align with one another. They are set by the implicit or explicit rules
concerning who participates in which subsystem and in what matter. They are described as
either rigid, clear, or diffuse.
, Boundary Interface - ANS-The regions between each subsystem of the family and between the
family and the suprasystem. In family systems therapy this interface is referred to as the familial
boundary.
Boundary Making - ANS-A structural therapy technique in which the therapist establishes a
functional semi-permeable (clear) boundary where either a rigid or diffuse boundary had existed
previously.
Bowenian Family Therapy - ANS-Bowen's theory and therapeutic model is based on the family's
emotional system, the differentiation of self within one's family, and the multi-generational
transmission of emotions and family patterns.
Brief Family Therapy - ANS-A model of problem-focused and time-limited therapy developed by
the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA. Milton Erickson and others.
Caring Days - ANS-From behavioral marital therapy, each partner identifies behaviors that
his/her partner finds enjoyable and makes a commitment to increasing those behaviors.
Case-Specific Symptom Prescription - ANS-A therapeutic technique of the strategic model, in
which symptomatic or other undesirable behaviors are paradoxically encouraged in order to
lessen such behavior or bring it under conscious control.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) - ANS-The U.S. Government agency that, among other
things, tracks the incidence of communicable diseases and defines criteria for diagnosis of
AIDS.
Central Ego - ANS-From object relations theory, one of three parts of the ego. It is conscious,
adaptable, and free to deal with future experiences with attachment figures in reasonable ways.
It maintains its own object, the ideal object.
Centrifugal - ANS-Defined by Beavers as part of the Beavers-Timberlawn Model, a family
system dynamic in which members are expelled or encouraged to operate at the outer periphery
and seek gratification outside the family.
Centripetal - ANS-Defined by Beavers as part of the Beavers-Timberlawn Model, a family
system dynamic in which members are tightly bound to one another emotionally and
encouraged to seek gratification from one another.
Circularity (Circular Causality) - ANS-The notion held by the Milan systemic group that causality
in families cannot be thought of as a simple, single cause and effect relationship (linear
causality). Instead, events, behaviors, and interactions are seen in a more complex way, as
mutually influencing one another (feedback loops). Each is the effect of a prior cause and in turn
influences future behaviors. Family system events create an endless (and beginning-less)
