MFT MFT Human Development and Family Life Cycle 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Attachment theory, originally developed by John Bowlby, proposes that early secure attachment primarily provides a child with:
- Superior cognitive development
- A safe base for exploration and emotional regulation (Correct answer)
- Reduced need for peer relationships
- Faster language acquisition
Correct answer: A safe base for exploration and emotional regulation
Bowlby's attachment theory posits that a secure attachment to a caregiver gives the child a safe base from which to explore the world and develop emotional regulation.
Question 2: Mary Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation' experiment identified which attachment pattern in children who showed distress during separation but were not easily comforted upon reunion?
- Secure attachment
- Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) attachment (Correct answer)
- Avoidant attachment
- Disorganized attachment
Correct answer: Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) attachment
Anxious-ambivalent children become highly distressed during separation and display anger or passivity upon reunion, unable to be soothed by the caregiver.
Question 3: According to the family life cycle model, the stage 'Families with Young Children' requires which primary adjustment?
- Establishing financial independence from parents
- Accepting new members into the family system (Correct answer)
- Renegotiating the marital relationship post-retirement
- Supporting adolescent autonomy
Correct answer: Accepting new members into the family system
This stage requires the couple to shift their system to make space for children, adjusting roles and boundaries to accept new members.
Question 4: Which theorist described adolescence as a period of 'identity vs. role confusion' involving the formation of a coherent sense of self?
- Jean Piaget
- Erik Erikson (Correct answer)
- Lev Vygotsky
- Margaret Mahler
Correct answer: Erik Erikson
Erikson assigned the identity vs. role confusion conflict to adolescence, where the primary task is developing a stable personal identity.
Question 5: The term 'parentification' refers to a family dynamic in which:
- Parents overly control their child's schedule
- A child takes on adult caregiving roles inappropriate for their developmental stage (Correct answer)
- Grandparents assume primary parenting duties
- Adolescents are coached to parent younger siblings temporarily
Correct answer: A child takes on adult caregiving roles inappropriate for their developmental stage
Parentification occurs when a child is assigned emotional or instrumental caregiving responsibilities that belong developmentally to adult family members.
Question 6: In Bowen Family Systems Theory, differentiation of self refers to:
- The ability to separate from one's family of origin permanently
- Balancing intellectual and emotional functioning while remaining connected to others (Correct answer)
- The degree to which family members share identical values
- A child's individuation from the mother during infancy
Correct answer: Balancing intellectual and emotional functioning while remaining connected to others
Differentiation of self describes the capacity to maintain a clear sense of self and regulate emotions while staying meaningfully connected in relationships.
MFT MFT Human Development and Family Life Cycle 2
Attachment theory, originally developed by John Bowlby, proposes that early secure attachment primarily provides a child with: