Deck 4: Inter-psychic Theories Alfred Adler, Harry Stack Sullivan

Question 1

Adler suggested that the style of life is pretty well established by

A) adulthood.
B) the age of two.
C) the age of five.
D) adolescence.

Answer 1

 C

Question 2

The term sibling rivalry was fully developed by

A) Adler.
B) Sullivan.
C) Rogers.
D) Skinner.

Answer 2

 A

Question 3

The concept of family constellation includes

A) one's position within the family in terms of birth order.
B) the presence or absence of friends and siblings.
C) the time of day that each child was born.
D) the nature and severity of sibling rivalry in the family.

Answer 3

 A

Question 4

Adler and Sullivan's theories mark a shift from a stress on ________ phenomena to an emphasis on ________ aspects.

A) intrapsychic; interpsychic
B) mental; physical
C) social; sexual
D) unique; universal

Question 5

According to Adler,______ refers to the urge in human nature to adapt oneself to the conditions of the social environment.

A) social interest
B) synchronicity
C) the creative self
D) striving for superiority

Question 6

Dr.Foster is a practicing psychotherapist whose approach to clients emphasizes the fact that as infants,all people are incapable of fulfilling their most basic needs and therefore,must depend on others to survive.Dr.Foster believes that many problems in later childhood and adulthood relate to attempts by the individual to compensate for feelings during this period.Dr.Foster is best described as a(n) _____________ psychotherapist.

A) Buddhist
B) humanistic
C) Adlerian
D) cognitive-behavioral

Question 7

In Adler's theory,the goals of the individual are established,maintained,and pursued by the

A) creative self.
B) unconscious.
C) ego.
D) superego.

Question 8

Deron is ambitious and competitive and has a recurring dream of running to catch a train.In Adler's birth-order theory,Deron would be a typical

A) only child.
B) firstborn.
C) second child.
D) lastborn.

Question 9

According to Adler,social interest is expressed

A) only in a constructive fashion.
B) automatically.
C) only if it is nurtured.
D) on a subconscious level.

Question 10

Denise and Ellen are the only two siblings in their family,and Denise is older than Ellen.Adler would expect Denise to be more ________ and Ellen to be more _________.

A) competitive; oriented toward the past
B) conforming; dependent
C) pampered; intelligent
D) sociable; conforming

Question 11

Michelle is intelligent and conforming,and enjoys being in positions of authority and leadership.In Adler's birth-order theory,Michelle would be a typical

A) middle child.
B) firstborn.
C) second child.
D) lastborn.

Question 12

When Tim moved to a new town,he experienced a desire to find others with whom he shared common interests and could join in with as friends.Adler would label Tim's desire as

A) fictional finalism.
B) anxiety.
C) style of life.
D) social interest.

Question 13

The term family constellation refers to

A) the astrological signs of the family members.
B) the drawing power that a family has to attract new acquaintances.
C) one's position within the family birth order.
D) the emotional climate of the family.

Question 14

The term Adler chose to label his conception of personality was

A) psychoanalysis.
B) individual psychology.
C) social psychology.
D) social learning.

Question 15

According to Adler,life is motivated by the need to

A) reduce tension produced by unconscious forces.
B) surpass others in rank and position.
C) move up from a position of inferiority.
D) restore equilibrium to the personality structure.

Question 16

Steven has a strong belief in God.According to Adler's personality theory,Steven's belief in God is one example of a(n)

A) act of the creative self.
B) goal of superiority.
C) overwhelmed family constellation.
D) fictional finalism.

Question 17

Each individual seeks to cope with the environment and develop superiority in a unique way.This describes Adler's concept of

A) style of life.
B) overcompensation.
C) constellation.
D) will to power.

Question 18

What did Adler originally mean by his concept of the "masculine protest"?

A) The compensation for one's inferiority
B) The anger that some men feel for feminists
C) The masculine attitudes adopted by some women
D) The growth of androgyny in society

Question 19

Adler suggested that many of our beliefs are fictional finalisms because they

A) prevent us from realizing our goals.
B) are usually unrealistic.
C) are concerned with instinctual satisfactions.
D) cannot be tested empirically.

Question 20

Dr.Rodriguez is an Adlerian psychotherapist.Dr.Rodriguez is most likely to hold which of the following beliefs?

A) Most forms of psychopathology stem from discrepancies between the shadow and the persona.
B) Feelings of inferiority stemming from childhood are a primary factor in human behavior.
C) Conditional positive regard leads to most forms of psychopathology.
D) An underdeveloped superego leads to most forms of psychopathology.

Question 21

In his list of "three entrance gates to mental life," Adler included birth order,dreams,and

A) sexual initiation.
B) medical history.
C) early memories.
D) social traditions.

Question 22

Sullivan's stages of development resemble Freud's stages because they ________.Sullivan's stages differ from Freud's because they ________.

A) are biologically determined; focus on sexual relationships
B) are socially determined; focus on bodily zones
C) emphasize areas of the body; are socially determined
D) emphasize interpersonal relationships; are biologically determined

Question 23

Which of the following illustrates overcompensation?

A) A girl who is too shy to act in the school play volunteers to work on set design.
B) A young man who is unusually short learns to accept his height.
C) A child with a reading disability is brought up to grade level by an inspiring, hard-working teacher.
D) A college student of low intelligence pretends not to know his limited ability and registers for the most challenging courses he can find.

Question 24

Deidre often uses the security operation of selective inattention.Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates this?

A) Deidre pretends to be interested in her father's story of his boyhood, even though she isn't.
B) Deidre pretends not to be interested in the cell phone conversation of the stranger who is seated next to her on the bus.
C) Deidre pretends to not hear her alarm clock going off in the morning.
D) Deidre pretends to not hear her boyfriend's sarcastic putdown of her.

Question 25

The dynamism of lust appears during which of Sullivan's stages of development?

A) Early adolescence
B) Juvenile era
C) Late adolescence
D) Preadolescence

Question 26

According to Adler,safeguarding tendencies are used most by

A) neurotic people.
B) adults, but not children.
C) children, but not adults.
D) psychologically healthy people.

Question 27

In Sullivan's theory,the pattern of energy transformation that characterizes interpersonal relationships is called a

A) dynamism.
B) personification.
C) prototaxic experience.
D) security operation.

Question 28

Which of the following demonstrates a parataxic experience?

A) Because he made money on the day that he wore his blue jacket, Julian comes to believe that the jacket has magical powers.
B) Ever since his reckless driving almost caused him to run over a child who darted into the street, Raymond has been driving more slowly and carefully.
C) No matter what language the word stop was written in, Graham knows to stop the car when he encountered a red octagonal sign on his trip.
D) Unlike her older sister, baby Zoe does not cry when her mother leaves the room, because Zoe has not yet learned that her mother is a person with her own separate identity.

Question 29

The not-me self entails

A) dreadful aspects of the self that have been repressed from conscious awareness.
B) experiences that are avoided because they produced anxiety in the past.
C) idealized characteristics that a person strives to achieve.
D) those experiences that a person expects to undergo sometime in the future.

Question 30

Carlos is angry at his best friend,but instead of lashing out physically,he releases his anger by writing in his journal.Sullivan would argue that this behavior represents the security operation of

A) selective inattention.
B) "as if" behavior.
C) regression.
D) sublimation.

Question 31

How does Sullivan define personality?

A) As a dynamic organization within an individual that determines characteristic behavior and thought
B) As an organized, consistent pattern of perception
C) As largely unconscious, hidden, and unknown
D) As the manner in which an individual relates to others

Question 32

Freud is to defense mechanisms as Sullivan is to

A) constructive reveries.
B) dynamisms.
C) personifications.
D) security operations.

Question 33

In the concept of the creative self,Adler reestablished

A) consciousness as the center of the personality.
B) the potency of unconscious forces.
C) the primacy of determinism.
D) the conflict inherent in human nature.

Question 34

This is Jason's first time performing in a comedy club.He is ignoring his extreme nervousness and acting cocky and arrogant instead.After a short while,he actually starts to feel confident.According to Sullivan's theories,Jason is experiencing the positive effects of

A) acting "as if."
B) parataxic distortion.
C) personification.
D) selective inattention.

Question 35

In preadolescence,interpersonal energies are focused on

A) chum relationships.
B) developing a healthy relationship with one's parents.
C) relating to same-sex playmates.
D) the emergence of the lust dynamism.

Question 36

Erica knows that she has a phobia about being in the midst of a huge crowd of people.This knowledge constitutes a part of which aspect of Erica's personality?

A) Personification
B) The bad-me self
C) The good-me self
D) The not-me self

Question 37

The prototaxic experience is the characteristic cognitive mode in which of Sullivan's stages of development?

A) Infancy
B) Childhood
C) Juvenile era
D) Preadolescence

Question 38

Which concept of Sullivan's attempts to explain how a person may be capable of acting in an evil manner while remaining fundamentally good?

A) Personification
B) Malevolent transformation of personality
C) Dynamism of evil
D) The bad-me self

Question 39

Sullivan conceived of anxiety as any painful feeling or emotion that may arise from organic needs or

A) social insecurity.
B) conflict between the id and the superego.
C) perceived inferiorities.
D) cognitive dissonance.

Question 40

Dr.Goldfarb is a psychotherapist who frequently uses terms such as inferiority complex and superiority complex.It is most likely that Dr.Goldfarb has a(n) ___________ orientation.

A) behavioral
B) Adlerian
C) humanistic
D) Freudian

Question 41

Discuss Adler's concept of the creative self,and show how it restores consciousness to the center of personality.

Question 42

Describe some of the major features of psychotherapy based on Sullivan's theories.

Question 43

Discuss the role of anxiety,unawareness,and security operations in Sullivan's theory.

Question 44

Michael is an alcoholic.By definition,who would be his codependent(s)?

A) Any other alcoholic who happens to be close to him
B) Any person who is close to him who unwittingly supports his dependence on alcohol
C) His children
D) His wife

Question 45

Describe how family constellation and family atmosphere shape personality.

Question 46

Describe how the goal of superiority arises from inferiority feelings and leads to an individual's style of life.

Question 47

Describe some of the major features of Adlerian psychotherapy.

Question 48

The therapist develops tentative hypotheses about her patient during which part of an interview?

A) Detailed inquiry
B) Inception
C) Reconnaissance
D) Termination

Question 49

Which of the following methods of psychotherapy is influenced most directly by Sullivan's emphasis on interactions with significant others?

A) Beck's cognitive therapy
B) Benjamen's structural analysis of social behavior
C) Jungian psychotherapy
D) Behavioral psychotherapy

Question 50

How do the theories of Adler and Sullivan support the practice of psychotherapy with families as clients?

Question 51

The Freudian term that is the equivalent of Sullivan's parataxic distortion is

A) catharsis.
B) displacement.
C) resistance.
D) transference.

Question 52

What is the difference between an intrapsychic and an interpsychic emphasis in theories of personality?

Question 53

Define and give examples of dynamisms and personifications.

Question 54

Adler's theory has been of particular interest to educators.What are some of the features of his theory that would be particularly useful to educators as they help to shape their students' personalities?

Question 55

The theories of Adler and Sullivan lend themselves to forms of psychotherapy that emphasize family interaction,including forms practiced by

A) Virginia Bowen and Murray Satir.
B) Sal Minuchin and Jay Haley.
C) Evelyn Cooper and Rick Magnavita.
D) Erik Erikson and Erich Fromm

Question 56

Explain what Adler meant by social interest and finalism.Give examples of fictional finalisms.

Question 57

Evaluate Adler's theory in terms of its function as philosophy,science,and art.

Question 58

Evaluate Sullivan's theory in terms of its function as philosophy,science,and art.

Question 59

Describe Sullivan's six stages of personality development and three cognitive processes.

Question 60

The cognitive activity that involves the use of symbols and consensual validation is the

A) parataxic distortion.
B) parataxic experience.
C) prototaxic experience.
D) syntaxic experience.

Question 61

Explain how interpsychic personality theories such as those of Adler and Sullivan lead to the practice of psychotherapy with families.

Question 62

Explain how Adler's theories regarding the origins of inferiority feelings might lead to particular parenting recommendations,especially for parents of very young children.

Question 63

In your opinion,to what extent do parataxic distortions (as described by Sullivan) influence romantic relationships? What effect would you expect these parataxic distortions to have on romantic relationships?

Question 64

Adler argued that birth order influences the development of personality.In your opinion,to what extent does the spacing between children (the number of years between births of siblings) moderate this effect?