ASWB MSW Exam Study Guide Test Questions
With Correct Answers .
Piaget's stage: Sensorimotor - Correct answer-0-2 years of age. Retains image of objects,
develops primitive logic in manipulating objects, begins intentional actions, play is
imitative, signals meaning - infants invests meaning in event (babysitter arriving means
mother is leaving), symbol meaning (language) begins in last part of stage. P. 40
Piaget's stage: Peoperational - Correct answer-2-7 years of age. Progress from concrete
to abstract thinking, can comprehend past, present and future, night terrors, acquires
words and symbols, magical thinking, thinking is not generalized, thinking is concrete,
irreversible, egocentric, cannot see another point of view besides own, thinking is
centered on one detail or event. P. 40
Piaget's stage: Concrete Operations - Correct answer-7-11 years of age. Beginnings of
abstract thought, plays games with rules, cause and effect relationships understood,
logical implications are understood, thinking is independent of experience, thinking is
reversible, rules of logic are developed. P. 40
Piaget's stage: Formal Operations - Correct answer-11 through maturity. higher level of
abstraction, planning for future, thinking hypothetically, assumes adult roles and
responsibilities. P. 40
What are some main themes of sexuality in infants and toddlers? - Correct answer-
Children are sexual even before birth.
By age 2 children know their gender and are aware of differences in genders. P. 42
What are some main themes of sexuality in children (3-7)? - Correct answer-Children can
be more affectionate around this age. They begin to be more social.
Children will play doctor displaying normal curiosity. by age 5 or 6 children become more
modest and private about dressing and bathing.
They start to be aware of marriage and understand living together based on family
experiences, so they role play house or being married. P. 42
What are some main themes of sexuality in pre-adolescent youth (8-12)? - Correct
answer-Puberty hits anywhere between 9 and 12 for most.
,Children become more self conscious. masturbation increases.
Exploring same sex sexuality is usually around this age.
Group dating begins. P. 42
What are some main themes of sexuality in adolescent youth (13-19)? - Correct answer-
Increase in romantic sexual relationships.
Experience strong emotional attachments to romantic partners. P. 43
What is attachment theory? - Correct answer-A lasting psychological connectedness
between human beings that can be understood within an evolutionary context in which a
caregiver provides safety and security for a child. P. 43
What is the critical period for developing attachment? - Correct answer-Before the age of
5. P. 51
What is the order of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs pyramid? - Correct answer-1.
Physiological needs
2. Safety needs
3. Social Needs (Love and Belonging)
4. Esteem Needs
5. Self Actualization
P. 53
What is strength? - Correct answer-Any ability that helps an individual (or family) to
confront and deal with a stressful life situation and to use the challenging situation as a
stimulation for growth. P. 55
What are examples of strength attributes? - Correct answer-cognitive abilities, coping
mechanisms, personal attributes, interpersonal skills, and external resources. P. 55
What are examples of Family strengths? - Correct answer-Kinship bonds, community
supports, religious connections, flexible roles, strong ethnic traditions, and more. P. 55
,What is the strengths perspective? - Correct answer-Focusing on understanding clients
(or families) on the basis of their strengths and resources (internal or external) and
mobilizing the resources to improve their situation. P. 55
The strengths perspective is based on what? - Correct answer-The assumption that
clients have the capacity to grow, change, and adapt (Humanistic Approach). P. 55
Compensations - Correct answer-Enables one to make up for real or fancied deficiencies
( a person who stutters becomes a very expressive writer). P. 56
Conversion - Correct answer-Repressed urge is expressed disguised as a disturbance of
body function, usually of the sensory, voluntary nervous system (as pain, deafness,
blindness paralysis, convulsions, tics). P. 56
Dissociation - Correct answer-A process that enables a person to split mental functions in
a manner that allows him or her to express forbidden or unconscious impulses without
taking responsibility for the action, either because he or she is unable to remember the
disowned behavior, or because it is not experienced as his or her own (pathologically
expresses as fugue states, amnesia, or dissociation neurosis, or normally expressed as
day dreaming). P. 56
Incorporation - Correct answer-Primitive mechanism in which psychic representation of a
person (parts of a person) is/are figuratively ingested. P. 57
Intellectualization - Correct answer-Where the person avoids uncomfortable emotions by
focusing on facts or logic. P. 57
Reaction Formation - Correct answer-persons adopts affects, ideas, attitudes, or
behaviors that are opposites of those he or she harbors consciously or unconsciously
(excessive moral zeal masking strong, but repressed asocial impulses or being
excessively sweet to mask unconscious anger). P. 57
Splitting - Correct answer-defensive mechanism associated with borderline Personality
Disorder in which a person perceives self and others as "all good" or "all bad." Splitting
serves to protect the good object. A person cannot integrate the good and the bad in
people. P. 58
, Sublimation - Correct answer-Potentially maladaptive feeling or behaviors are diverted
into socially acceptable, adaptive channels (a person who has angry feelings channel
them into athletics. P. 58
Symbolization - Correct answer-A mental representation stands for some other thing,
class of things, or attribute. This mechanism underlies dream formation and some other
symptoms (such as conversation reactions, obsessions, compulsions) with a link between
the latent meaning of the symptom and the symbol; usually unconscious. P. 58
Undoing - Correct answer-A person uses words or actions to symbolically reverse or
negate unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or actions (a person compulsively washing
hands to deal with obsessive thoughts). P. 58
Who has the eight stages with two possible outcomes? - Correct answer-Erikson. P. 58
What are Erikson's eight stages? - Correct answer-1. Trust Vs. Mistrust
2. Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt
3. Initiative Vs. Guilt
4. Industry Vs. Inferiority
5. Identity Vs. Role Confusion
6. Intimacy Vs. Isolation
7. Generativity Vs. Stagnation
8. Ego Vs. Despair
P. 58-59
Define Groupthink - Correct answer-When a group makes faulty decisions because of
group pressures. P. 61
What is a family systems approach? - Correct answer-A family systems approach argues
that in order to understand a family system, the social worker must look at the family as a
whole, rather than focusing on its members. P. 62
What is equifinality? - Correct answer-The ability of the family system to accomplish the
same goals through different routes. P. 63
With Correct Answers .
Piaget's stage: Sensorimotor - Correct answer-0-2 years of age. Retains image of objects,
develops primitive logic in manipulating objects, begins intentional actions, play is
imitative, signals meaning - infants invests meaning in event (babysitter arriving means
mother is leaving), symbol meaning (language) begins in last part of stage. P. 40
Piaget's stage: Peoperational - Correct answer-2-7 years of age. Progress from concrete
to abstract thinking, can comprehend past, present and future, night terrors, acquires
words and symbols, magical thinking, thinking is not generalized, thinking is concrete,
irreversible, egocentric, cannot see another point of view besides own, thinking is
centered on one detail or event. P. 40
Piaget's stage: Concrete Operations - Correct answer-7-11 years of age. Beginnings of
abstract thought, plays games with rules, cause and effect relationships understood,
logical implications are understood, thinking is independent of experience, thinking is
reversible, rules of logic are developed. P. 40
Piaget's stage: Formal Operations - Correct answer-11 through maturity. higher level of
abstraction, planning for future, thinking hypothetically, assumes adult roles and
responsibilities. P. 40
What are some main themes of sexuality in infants and toddlers? - Correct answer-
Children are sexual even before birth.
By age 2 children know their gender and are aware of differences in genders. P. 42
What are some main themes of sexuality in children (3-7)? - Correct answer-Children can
be more affectionate around this age. They begin to be more social.
Children will play doctor displaying normal curiosity. by age 5 or 6 children become more
modest and private about dressing and bathing.
They start to be aware of marriage and understand living together based on family
experiences, so they role play house or being married. P. 42
What are some main themes of sexuality in pre-adolescent youth (8-12)? - Correct
answer-Puberty hits anywhere between 9 and 12 for most.
,Children become more self conscious. masturbation increases.
Exploring same sex sexuality is usually around this age.
Group dating begins. P. 42
What are some main themes of sexuality in adolescent youth (13-19)? - Correct answer-
Increase in romantic sexual relationships.
Experience strong emotional attachments to romantic partners. P. 43
What is attachment theory? - Correct answer-A lasting psychological connectedness
between human beings that can be understood within an evolutionary context in which a
caregiver provides safety and security for a child. P. 43
What is the critical period for developing attachment? - Correct answer-Before the age of
5. P. 51
What is the order of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs pyramid? - Correct answer-1.
Physiological needs
2. Safety needs
3. Social Needs (Love and Belonging)
4. Esteem Needs
5. Self Actualization
P. 53
What is strength? - Correct answer-Any ability that helps an individual (or family) to
confront and deal with a stressful life situation and to use the challenging situation as a
stimulation for growth. P. 55
What are examples of strength attributes? - Correct answer-cognitive abilities, coping
mechanisms, personal attributes, interpersonal skills, and external resources. P. 55
What are examples of Family strengths? - Correct answer-Kinship bonds, community
supports, religious connections, flexible roles, strong ethnic traditions, and more. P. 55
,What is the strengths perspective? - Correct answer-Focusing on understanding clients
(or families) on the basis of their strengths and resources (internal or external) and
mobilizing the resources to improve their situation. P. 55
The strengths perspective is based on what? - Correct answer-The assumption that
clients have the capacity to grow, change, and adapt (Humanistic Approach). P. 55
Compensations - Correct answer-Enables one to make up for real or fancied deficiencies
( a person who stutters becomes a very expressive writer). P. 56
Conversion - Correct answer-Repressed urge is expressed disguised as a disturbance of
body function, usually of the sensory, voluntary nervous system (as pain, deafness,
blindness paralysis, convulsions, tics). P. 56
Dissociation - Correct answer-A process that enables a person to split mental functions in
a manner that allows him or her to express forbidden or unconscious impulses without
taking responsibility for the action, either because he or she is unable to remember the
disowned behavior, or because it is not experienced as his or her own (pathologically
expresses as fugue states, amnesia, or dissociation neurosis, or normally expressed as
day dreaming). P. 56
Incorporation - Correct answer-Primitive mechanism in which psychic representation of a
person (parts of a person) is/are figuratively ingested. P. 57
Intellectualization - Correct answer-Where the person avoids uncomfortable emotions by
focusing on facts or logic. P. 57
Reaction Formation - Correct answer-persons adopts affects, ideas, attitudes, or
behaviors that are opposites of those he or she harbors consciously or unconsciously
(excessive moral zeal masking strong, but repressed asocial impulses or being
excessively sweet to mask unconscious anger). P. 57
Splitting - Correct answer-defensive mechanism associated with borderline Personality
Disorder in which a person perceives self and others as "all good" or "all bad." Splitting
serves to protect the good object. A person cannot integrate the good and the bad in
people. P. 58
, Sublimation - Correct answer-Potentially maladaptive feeling or behaviors are diverted
into socially acceptable, adaptive channels (a person who has angry feelings channel
them into athletics. P. 58
Symbolization - Correct answer-A mental representation stands for some other thing,
class of things, or attribute. This mechanism underlies dream formation and some other
symptoms (such as conversation reactions, obsessions, compulsions) with a link between
the latent meaning of the symptom and the symbol; usually unconscious. P. 58
Undoing - Correct answer-A person uses words or actions to symbolically reverse or
negate unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or actions (a person compulsively washing
hands to deal with obsessive thoughts). P. 58
Who has the eight stages with two possible outcomes? - Correct answer-Erikson. P. 58
What are Erikson's eight stages? - Correct answer-1. Trust Vs. Mistrust
2. Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt
3. Initiative Vs. Guilt
4. Industry Vs. Inferiority
5. Identity Vs. Role Confusion
6. Intimacy Vs. Isolation
7. Generativity Vs. Stagnation
8. Ego Vs. Despair
P. 58-59
Define Groupthink - Correct answer-When a group makes faulty decisions because of
group pressures. P. 61
What is a family systems approach? - Correct answer-A family systems approach argues
that in order to understand a family system, the social worker must look at the family as a
whole, rather than focusing on its members. P. 62
What is equifinality? - Correct answer-The ability of the family system to accomplish the
same goals through different routes. P. 63
