Cuestionario: Systemic Psychology — 34 preguntas

1. In systemic psychology, what is a conflict likely to involve beyond the literal topic being discussed?

A. A neutral misunderstanding with no effect on power dynamics

B. A purely biological difference with no relational component

C. A single incorrect fact being stated during the exchange

D. An escalation in which each person tries to dominate the other

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Systemic psychology treats conflicts as more than the surface subject; they often escalate into struggles over power and dominance. The other options miss this relational escalation aspect.

2. Which statement best defines metacommunication?

A. Communication about both the content of an exchange and how it affects the relationship

B. Exchanging only additional facts about the original topic

C. Using nonverbal signals to avoid discussing any relationship issue

D. A discussion of past events rather than the present interaction

Answer: (A)

Explicación

Metacommunication includes both what is being said and what the exchange communicates about the relationship. Options that limit it to more information or only nonverbal details do not match the definition.

3. What distinguishes family and systemic therapy from the psychoanalytic paradigm?

A. Both approaches are identical in focusing equally on family and the individual

B. Psychoanalytic therapy focuses primarily on family relational dynamics

C. Family and systemic therapy focuses mainly on the individual patient rather than family relations

D. Family and systemic therapy focuses more on relational dynamics within the family than on the individual

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Family and systemic therapy emphasizes relational dynamics within the family, while psychoanalytic work focuses more on the individual patient. The other choices swap or blur these priorities.

4. Which principle reflects the systemic idea that silence still communicates?

A. Silence communicates only about content, not about relationships

B. Silence communicates only when it is interpreted as anger

C. It is impossible not to communicate because silence conveys a message

D. Silence is an absence of communication until someone speaks again

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Systemic theory holds that every behavior, including silence, conveys a message, so communication cannot be avoided. The distractors treat silence as non-communication or restrict what it conveys.

5. In systemic theory, communications are said to have which two levels?

A. Only a content level because relationships are not communicated

B. Two content levels: one about facts and one about emotions

C. A relationship level only, since words mainly express relational meaning

D. A content level that conveys information and a relationship level that indicates how to understand it

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Systemic communication includes both content (information) and relationship level (how the message should be understood and how the relationship is defined). The other options omit one level or misdescribe the relationship level.

6. In a recurring interaction, how can it be that the sequence is punctuated differently by each participant?

A. Each person punctuates the sequence based only on the objective facts, not on perceptions

B. Each person agrees on the exact trigger and effect at every step

C. The sequence can only be punctuated the same way if one person is silent

D. Each person tends to view their own behavior as a response to the other while underestimating their influence on the other

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Systemic communication theory notes that each person sees their own actions as responding to the other, while underestimating how their behavior affects the other. The distractors remove this perception-based difference.

7. According to the Kinderman model, psychological problems are explained by interactions among which categories of factors?

A. Biological, social, and circumstantial factors affecting individual and interpersonal processes

B. Only circumstantial events with no role for biology or social context

C. Only social factors and nothing biological

D. A single cause that directly produces the problem without further interactions

Answer: (A)

Explicación

The Kinderman model attributes psychological problems to interactions among biological, social, and circumstantial factors that shape processes and can lead to secondary problems. The distractors incorrectly reduce the model to one factor or a single cause.

8. What does relational interdependence mean in interpersonal dynamics?

A. Influence is one-way: only one person’s cognitions shape the other

B. Each person continually influences the other while also being influenced

C. Mutual influence occurs only when both people share the same beliefs

D. One person fully controls the other through emotions and thoughts

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Relational interdependence is mutual, ongoing influence: each person affects the other and is also affected. The other options incorrectly imply one-way control or require shared beliefs.

9. On what does a person’s influence on another depend, according to systemic influence ideas?

A. The meaning the other person assigns to observable behavior and its context

B. The other person’s ability to read emotions rather than behavior

C. The observer’s agreement with the first person before influence can occur

D. The first person’s internal intention regardless of what is observed

Answer: (A)

Explicación

Influence depends on how the other interprets observable behavior and its context, not solely on the first person’s internal intention. The distractor assumes intention automatically governs influence.

10. How does a sense of relational influence differ from a sense of control?

A. Relational influence means fully controlling the other person’s actions

B. Influence and control are identical experiences in systemic theory

C. Relational influence is possible without controlling the other person

D. Control is impossible whenever emotions are involved

Answer: (C)

Explicación

A sense of relational influence means a person can affect the relationship, but cannot control the other person. The distractors collapse influence into control or claim the distinction does not exist.

11. When someone insists that their partner’s criticism proves what the partner really thinks about them, is that belief based on a direct interpersonal perception or an indirect perception?

A. Direct interpersonal perception

B. Social perspective

C. Indirect perception

D. Social representation

Answer: (C)

Explicación

It is an indirect perception because it interprets what another person thinks about them, which can feel like an objective truth. Social representations and social perspectives are broader shared meaning frameworks, not a specific inference about another’s mind.

12. Which type of perception is most likely to trigger interpersonal conflict when it is treated as a truth rather than as an interpretation?

A. Direct perceptions

B. Biographical facts

C. Indirect perceptions

D. Social representations

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Interpersonal conflicts often arise from indirect perceptions that clients experience as truths rather than interpretations. Direct perceptions concern what someone thinks about themselves or someone else, not what another thinks.

13. A community shares common meanings about what a “good parent” should do, and these meanings shape everyday behavior and judgments—what concept best fits this description?

A. Indirect perception

B. Direct interpersonal perception

C. Social representation

D. Social perspective

Answer: (C)

Explicación

That description matches social representations: shared meanings that provide the symbolic space in which people think, feel, and act. Indirect/direct perceptions are about specific inferences about individuals, not shared cultural meaning systems.

14. A person interprets daily interactions using shared norms that feel taken-for-granted, alongside how they perceive specific individuals—what does this combination produce?

A. A social representation

B. An indirect perception

C. A personal narrative

D. A social perspective

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Social perspectives result from combining interpersonal perceptions with social representations, reflecting how shared norms influence personal interpretations and exchanges. Social representations alone do not include interpersonal perception in the same way.

15. Which situation best illustrates Haley’s concept of a Type Two change element that disrupts habitual reactions rather than strengthening the usual approach?

A. A third party replaces one of the actors immediately

B. A stronger version of the same usual strategy is applied repeatedly

C. The two people agree on the norms and stop reacting

D. One side uses a new, unexpected maneuver that breaks the usual escalation pattern

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Type Two Change involves something unexpected and contrary to common sense with an enigmatic element that disrupts habitual reaction patterns. Increasing the usual solution is more consistent with the mistaken idea that Type Two is just “stronger Type One.”

16. A person is told to be spontaneous but is also punished for being spontaneous—what communication structure best fits this situation?

A. A legitimate alliance

B. A feedback loop

C. A two-generation conflict

D. A double bind

Answer: (D)

Explicación

A double bind involves two contradictory or incompatible pressures (for example, the injunction to be spontaneous). Legitimate alliance and feedback loops are different systemic concepts.

17. In the Palo Alto view, what helps keep difficulties going even when the therapist offers interpretations?

A. Repetitive feedback loops until the relational context or situation changes

B. A single correct interpretation that ends the problem immediately

C. A family hierarchy that is always the main cause

D. A symptom that disappears without relational influence

Answer: (A)

Explicación

The Palo Alto school emphasizes that repetitive feedback loops maintain difficulties until the relational context or the patient’s situation changes, and the therapist’s personal interpretive filter matters. The other options contradict this focus on ongoing relational processes.

18. In Haley’s strategic approach, how can a symptom be understood within a relationship?

A. As a relational tactic that influences others and helps organize difficulties

B. As a purely biological malfunction independent of others

C. Only as an individual dysfunction that must be cured

D. As evidence of a social representation about behavior

Answer: (A)

Explicación

Haley’s approach treats a symptom as a relational tactic that influences others and can help organize or solve difficulties within the relationship. It is not considered only an individual dysfunction.

19. In a three-level hierarchy, what is an illegitimate alliance?

A. The top person partners with the middle person against the bottom person

B. The middle person allies with the bottom person and disqualifies the top person

C. The top person allies with the bottom person and disqualifies the middle person

D. All three positions form an alliance together

Answer: (C)

Explicación

An illegitimate alliance occurs when the person in the higher position allies with the person in the lower position and disqualifies the intermediate person. The other options describe different alliance structures that do not match this disqualification pattern.

20. What does a family boundary determine in a family system?

A. It predicts how quickly family members will change across the life cycle

B. It defines who belongs to a family subsystem and organizes interactions inside the subsystem and with the outside

C. It measures the emotional intensity of family members during conflicts

D. It defines the family’s legal rights and responsibilities to extended relatives

Answer: (B)

Explicación

A family boundary specifies membership in a subsystem and organizes interactions both within it and with outside contexts. The other options refer to legal status, change speed, or emotional intensity rather than boundary function.

21. A subsystem can trade information with outsiders while staying stable; which boundary pattern best fits this description?

A. Clear and flexible boundaries

B. No boundaries, because openness alone creates stability

C. Diffuse boundaries

D. Rigid boundaries

Answer: (A)

Explicación

Clear and flexible boundaries allow exchanges with the outside while preserving the subsystem’s integrity and stability. Rigid boundaries restrict exchanges, while diffuse boundaries weaken internal definition and role clarity.

22. During a major life transition, which statement best captures how the family life cycle relates to crises?

A. The transition can affect the whole family system and may disrupt balance, increasing stress and requiring new equilibrium

B. The transition mainly affects the individual and does not change family patterns

C. The transition only increases stress temporarily and never affects system balance

D. The transition affects roles only if it involves a birth

Answer: (A)

Explicación

The family life cycle describes system change through stages and life events; transitions can produce crises and increase stress, requiring a new balance. The distractor incorrectly limits effects to the individual only.

23. What is a family script?

A. A unique personal memory that each family member keeps privately

B. A shared set of expectations and repetitive interactions that guide how roles should be performed in particular contexts

C. A rule that applies only to communication during therapy sessions

D. A biological mechanism that determines family membership

Answer: (B)

Explicación

A family script is a shared set of expectations and repetitive interactions specifying how roles should be performed in specific contexts. The distractors either describe private memories, therapy-only rules, or biology instead of interpersonal expectations.

24. In the Milan approach, why can the same behavior be understood differently for two families?

A. Because the meaning of behavior depends solely on biological traits

B. Because the meaning of behavior depends only on past childhood experiences

C. Because the meaning of behavior depends on the context in which it occurs

D. Because the meaning of behavior is fixed by the person who performs it

Answer: (C)

Explicación

The Milan school emphasizes that behavior’s meaning is context-dependent within the relational setting. Therefore, the same act can carry different implications in different contexts.

25. When a therapist explores partner violence using circular influence concepts, what does this framework NOT imply about responsibility?

A. Circular influence means the aggressor’s personality plays no role

B. Circular influence requires the therapist to ignore the violence’s initiating factors

C. Circular influence does not mean the aggressor and the other partner share equal responsibility

D. Circular influence implies the violence is caused only by genetics

Answer: (C)

Explicación

The material highlights a key distinction: circular influence does not equate to equal responsibility for violence. A common misconception is treating circularity as blame symmetry.

26. Which combination best supports long-term relationship satisfaction and durability in a systemic couple framework?

A. Balancing commitment, intimacy, and passion while jointly improving stress management

B. Reducing intimacy to lower conflict and preserve stability

C. Increasing passion alone to compensate for low intimacy and commitment

D. Avoiding shared stress-management work to maintain individual autonomy

Answer: (A)

Explicación

A well-functioning couple requires a balance among commitment, intimacy, and passion, and jointly improving stress management supports satisfaction and durability. The other options break that balance or remove the stress-management component.

27. In narrative re-authoring, what is the purpose of identifying recent actions and linking them to personal values?

A. To focus only on current emotions without connecting actions to meaning

B. To replace personal values with explanations based solely on past family dynamics

C. To prove that old memories were inaccurate by gathering new factual evidence

D. To build conclusions about identity and imagine future expressions consistent with those values

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Narrative re-authoring involves connecting recent actions to personal values, then deriving identity conclusions and imagining future value-consistent expressions. The distractors either remove key steps or change the aim of the process.

28. Which option best describes the therapeutic alliance in systemic therapy?

A. A therapeutic alliance is the same as disengagement, meaning withdrawing from the family once goals are reached.

B. A therapeutic alliance is an assessment method used to measure family communication patterns before therapy starts.

C. A therapeutic alliance is a collaborative relationship that helps support systemic therapy and may include multiple or indirect alliances between the therapist and family members.

D. A therapeutic alliance is only the emotional bond between one family member and the therapist.

Answer: (C)

Explicación

The therapeutic alliance is the collaborative relationship that supports systemic therapy and can involve multiple or indirect alliances among the therapist and family members. The other options either redefine it as a single-bond or as an assessment/disengagement concept.

29. For a therapeutic alliance to be complete, what key set of elements must be present?

A. A relational bond, agreement on therapy goals, and consensus about the therapist’s interventions and the patients’ tasks

B. Agreement only about the therapist’s techniques, without needing goal alignment or task consensus

C. A shared view that the therapist understands the family’s emotions and worries

D. A plan for disengagement that specifies when sessions will stop and how change durability will be checked

Answer: (A)

Explicación

A therapeutic alliance consists of a relational bond, agreement on therapy goals, and consensus about the therapist’s interventions and the patients’ tasks. A common distractor is to assume a bond alone is sufficient, but goal and task agreement are also required.

30. In systemic therapy, how is disengagement handled in the overall process?

A. It is treated as a replacement for evaluation, occurring before any assessment is done.

B. It is treated as the first planning step that happens before appointing evaluation sessions.

C. It is treated as a stage within the family relationship, not just an abrupt end to therapy.

D. It is treated only as an administrative procedure with no clinical meaning.

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Disengagement is handled as a new stage in the family relationship, rather than simply an abrupt termination. The other options incorrectly reduce it to administration, timing, or an earlier planning/evaluation role.

31. Which tool is best described as representing family relationships and roles through physical positioning?

A. Genogram

B. Family coat of arms

C. Video feedback

D. Sculpting

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Sculpting represents relationships and roles through how family members are positioned. A genogram and family coat of arms emphasize mapping and values/history, while video feedback reviews interactions rather than positioning roles.

32. What makes a genogram more than a conventional genealogical tree?

A. It records conversations to analyze communication style

B. It connects the present with past family events and emotionally transmitted material across generations

C. It lists only birth and marriage dates

D. It focuses exclusively on one generation's medical history

Answer: (B)

Explicación

A genogram links present relationships to past events and emotionally transmitted material across generations. A genealogical tree typically tracks lineage without emphasizing emotional transmission or relational/conflict content.

33. If you read a genogram structurally, what are you mainly assessing?

A. Each member’s role and management of life stages

B. Affective links such as alliances and triangulations

C. How secrets create sensed dysfunction across members

D. Family composition

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Structural reading focuses on family composition. Relational and functional readings shift attention to affective connections or members’ roles and life-stage management.

34. In terms of genogram perspectives, how does the horizontal perspective differ from the vertical perspective?

A. Horizontal and vertical both assume repetitive patterns are inevitable for every family

B. Horizontal traces multiple generations to find repetitive patterns, while vertical looks at the family in the present

C. Horizontal focuses on emotional transmission, while vertical focuses on physical positioning

D. Horizontal examines the family context in the present, while vertical traces several generations for repetitive patterns without determinism

Answer: (D)

Explicación

The horizontal perspective examines present family context, while the vertical perspective traces several generations to identify repetitive patterns without adopting a deterministic view. The other options reverse the directions or add unsupported assumptions.