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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

ASWB LCSW Exam Questions

Page 4 of 50

61.

The following BEST defines an "object" in Margaret Mahler's object relations theory:

  • People or physical items

  • Only people

  • Only physical items

  • Self as expressed to others

Correct answer: People or physical items

Margaret Mahler's object relations theory has an "object" being whatever a client has a relationship with as an attachment figure. This can be people, physical items, or even psychodynamic parts or the roles of another person.

The other items do not completely express an "object" in Margaret Mahler's object relations theory.

62.

You are a social worker in a crisis center and are meeting with a client, Arden, who just lost her house and belongings in a fire. In seeking a way to help Arden through crisis management, you have ensured that Arden has a strong support system among her friends and family. You have also educated Arden about ways to help manage stress, and have used that education to help her come up with coping skills that work best for her. 

Which of the four goals of crisis intervention have you accidentally left out?

  • Returning Arden to her previous level of functioning

  • Relieving the impact of stress with social resources

  • Helping strengthen coping skills during Arden's crisis

  • Developing adaptive coping strategies

Correct answer: Returning Arden to her previous level of functioning

Based on the information offered in this question, it seems that you have helped Arden a lot, and in doing so, you have achieved three of the four goals of crisis management. You have mobilized her social support to relieve the impact of Arden's stress, educated her on ways to manage stress during a crisis, and used that education to help her develop adaptive coping skills. 

However, there is no information in the question that states how Arden is going to return to her previous level of functioning, and this is a critical missing ingredient. A specific and guided action plan would be helpful to create together to help this goal get accomplished.

63.

Caroline shows you a large tattoo on her arm dedicated to her childhood best friend, who recently passed away. She begins to cry and self-reports that it always makes her emotional when she looks at it too long because it reminds her of him and his amazing friendship.

The tattoo is a form of:

  • Symbolization

  • Substitution

  • Sublimation

Correct answer: Symbolization 

Psychological Defense Mechanisms are unconscious, involuntary techniques that reduce anxiety. Symbolization is when the representation stands for some other thing, class of thing or attribute. In this question, the tattoo stands for Caroline's childhood best friend.

The other options, while both are also defense mechanisms, are incorrect because they do not best fit for this situation.

64.

Mr. and Mrs. Harris have recently separated and plan on getting a divorce. Immediately after the Harrises told their children about the separation, their 13-year-old child began having behavioral problems at school and is frequently sent to the principal's office. Their other child still does fairly well in school, but withdraws from other family members when at home, spending hours alone in her room and refusing to come out even during mealtimes. 

You are meeting with this family and might initially hypothesize that the children's reactions:

  • Reflect an adjustment reaction to the news of the parents' separation

  • Existed long before the parents decided to separate

  • Is a projection of the parents' marital discord

  • Suggest that the parents' decision to separate was made prematurely

Correct answer: Reflect an adjustment reaction to the news of the parents' separation

Because the concerns described in the information in the question did not exist prior to Mr. and Mrs. Harris' announcement that they were going to be separated, you can hypothesize that their children's behavioral problems are due to the changes taking place within the family. The best thing that you can do in this situation is to normalize the children's reactions as developmentally appropriate responses to their parents' separation.

The other options are incorrect, as they do not best match the timeline of the separation and the behaviors, and you should not suggest that the parents made a decision to separate prematurely, as the decision has already been made and that is not the reason the family is seeking services.

65.

Which of the following defense mechanisms is defined by the shifting of actions from a desired target to a substitute target when there is some reason why the first target is not permitted or not available?

  • Displacement

  • Projection

  • Sublimation

Correct answer: Displacement

Psychological Defense Mechanisms are unconscious, involuntary techniques that reduce anxiety. One defense mechanism, displacement, is the shifting of actions from a desired target to a substitute target when there is some reason why the first target is not permitted or not available.

The other options are not correct. Sublimation occurs when a person chooses to divert their desires that are consciously intolerable and cannot be directly realized into creative activities that are acceptable. Sublimation channels this energy away from destructive acts and into something that is socially acceptable and/or creatively effective. Another defense mechanism, projection, occurs when a person has uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. They may project these onto other people, assigning the thoughts or feelings that they need to repress to a convenient alternative target. 

66.

Which of the following is MOST descriptive of gender-related behaviors and motivations that are likely to be found in adult children in dealing with aging parents who have progressively increasing medical problems, care needs, etc.?

  • Daughters tend to be influenced primarily by a sense of intimacy and altruism and may quickly engage in a primary caregiving role motivated directly by affection for the parent(s), whereas sons provide support based more on principles of socially normative behavior, formal obligation and self interest.

  • Adult sons and daughters in such situations respond very similarly, with behaviors that are motivated by a sense of obligation and need to serve a role of reciprocating for parents' care and investment during their own childhoods.

  • Sons often respond to aging parents' care needs in an instrumental way (for example, focusing on concrete needs and/or financial arrangements) with little attention to their own emotional responses, while daughters often act in such situations in ways that provide them with mechanisms for gradual emotional transitions/adjustments to parents' future decline, death/dying issues, etc.

Correct answer: Daughters tend to be influenced primarily by a sense of intimacy and altruism and may quickly engage in a primary caregiving role motivated directly by affection for the parent(s), whereas sons provide support based more on principles of socially normative behavior, formal obligation, and self interest.

Research indicates that daughters appear to be more influenced by intimacy and altruism, whereas sons are influenced by normative principles, familiarity, and the expectation of financial reward implicit in endorsement of inheritance. Intergenerational affection plays a more direct role in motivating daughters' support, but for sons, affection serves indirectly by increasing social contact. Sons seem to require frequent interaction prior to engaging in supportive behavior and daughters are directly motivated to act by emotional intimacy.

67.

During an initial assessment with a young woman, you ask about the reasons the woman is seeking therapy. The woman describes her unsatisfying career, the problems with her wife, feelings of anxiety, and how she has a poor self-image. 

You would MOST likely:

  • Help the client identify the primary issue she would like to focus on during therapy

  • Suggest the client seek group treatment rather than individual therapy

  • Focus on the client's poor self-image, since it is the most serious problem in your opinion

  • Avoid offering suggestions so the client does not feel criticized

Correct answer: Help the client identify the primary issue she would like to focus on during therapy

Your task in this situation is to identify one primary area of treatment that the client would like to address. While it is not uncommon for clients to have several problem areas, in order to enter a social worker-client contract, there must be a mutually agreed-upon area that treatment will target.

There is no indication in the information offered in this question that the client would benefit more from group treatment rather than individual therapy. You must find out what the client feels her most serious problem is, rather than making assumptions about what is the most serious. You should gently offer suggestions for choosing which area the client would like to focus on, but it should be up to the client and not your opinions/bias.

68.

You realize during a session with a middle-aged mother of four children that one of your children is in the same class as the clients'. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate course of action for you to take?

  • Inform the client of the dual relationship and offer to make a referral to another clinician if the client feels uncomfortable

  • Suggest that the client see another social worker, but do not explain why, due to confidentiality issues

  • Do nothing and continue meeting with the client

  • Arrange it so the client realizes on her own that your children are in the same class

Correct answer: Inform the client of the dual relationship and offer to make a referral to another clinician if the client feels uncomfortable

Dual relationships are when multiple roles exist between a social worker and a client, and this can actually be quite common in social work practices. In this question, you are the client's therapist, but also a parent of a child in your client's child's class. In this situation, you should initiate an open conversation about these multiple roles and explore your client's feelings about engaging in therapy after knowing about the dual relationship. 

If there is an explicit reason why the dual relationship could impede the client's progress in therapy, you should terminate therapy, especially if the client feels uncomfortable. You should ensure that the client knows about the dual relationship by telling her directly.

69.

The following would be the LEAST applicable statement(s) regarding client advocacy:

  • Advocacy is part of advanced social work practice and is most often applied when issues of a systemic nature are found. This affects substantial groups of clients for which advocating for policy change is the preferred solution.

  • Advocacy can be done in a variety of settings and situations, and may involve either taking the role of mediator/facilitator or of adversary. It just depends on the situation and the parties involved.

  • Advocacy is a technique that can be used by a social worker to model a set of behaviors for a client(s), and when the objective is to provide the client with tools to effectively negotiate with others on their own behalf.

  • The use of advocacy as an explicit core value and practice is one factor that distinguishes social work from other closely related professions, because advocacy is an activity that supports social justice ideals.

Correct answer: Advocacy is part of advanced social work practice and is most often applied when issues of a systemic nature are found. This affects substantial groups of clients for which advocating for policy change is the preferred solution.

The aim of shaping large social system change is only one of many forms of advocacy, and it can apply to social work practice in almost any setting.

Advocacy can happen in many different forms, and advocacy as a principle and set of activities is more prominently emphasized in social work than is the case in most other "helping professions." However, with the exception of the legal professions, social work places probably the greatest emphasis on advocacy as a form of service provision.

70.

If the federal government gave the state government $100,000 with no restrictions, what did the state government receive?

  • Block grant

  • Categorical grant

  • In kind assistance

Correct answer: Block grant 

Grants in aid refers to the federal government giving money to the states for a particular purpose, and it is important in the discussion of legislation and service delivery. There are two general types of grants in aid:

  • A block grant is a federal government grant that provides a state or local government with money to spend how they see fit.
  • A categorical grant is a federal government grant that provides a state or local government with money that is to be spent on specific items.

The option, in kind assistance, is when tangible items are given instead of money and in this question, because money is given, this is an incorrect option. 

71.

The following is an ethical principle in which a social worker should NOT disclose a client’s information without their consent:

  • Confidentiality

  • Informed consent

  • Malpractice

  • Conflict of interest

Correct answer: Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an ethical principle in which a social worker should not disclose a client’s information without their consent.

The other options are incorrect because they do not match the information offered in the question.

72.

You are reviewing a client’s record and notice that the client is described as being in the “genital phase.” What is the age of the client?

  • Puberty to death

  • Age 1 to age 3

  • Age 3 to age 6

Correct answer: Puberty to death

The phases in which an individual matures are a product of the psychosexual development theory. The genital phase lasts from adolescence/puberty to death.

A child in the oral phase is from birth to age 1. A child in the anal phase is aged 1 to age 3. A child in the phallic phase is aged 3 to age 6. Though it is not an option here, a child in the latency phase is aged 6 to puberty.

73.

You've been working with Dominique, a client with anxiety, for 12 months. She has met all treatment goals, and it's clear to you that she's ready for termination. However, she expresses she is not ready to terminate, and she wants to continue to see you weekly.

What is the BEST way to handle this situation?

  • Discuss Dominique's fears and move toward termination

  • Continue treatment until Dominique is comfortable terminating

  • Immediately refer Dominique elsewhere

  • Discharge Dominique immediately for non-compliance

Correct answer: Discuss Dominique's fears and move toward termination

The best choice here is to discuss Dominique's fears and move toward termination. It is not ethical to continue to treat a client who doesn't need services any longer. However, you should have a discussion to explore Dominique's fears, so her concerns are validated. Then, move toward termination.

Continuing to treat Dominique when she doesn't need it would be unethical.

Immediately referring her elsewhere is also not the best choice. She already has a client-social worker relationship with you, so you should discuss with her moving toward termination.

Immediately discharging her without discussion could cause harm and would not be clinically appropriate.

74.

Dani is meeting her client, Sandra, for their regular session. Sandra reminds Dani very much of herself at Sandra's age, and they find their therapeutic relationship drifting more into a regular friendship. Dani is desirous to make sure Sandra, whose life circumstances line up with Dani's own, does not make any of the same mistakes that she does.

What interactional process is MOST likely to take place here?

  • Parallel process

  • Transference

  • Countertransference

  • Normalization

Correct answer: Parallel process

A parallel process is the overidentification with the client and their issues, and this resembles countertransference a great deal. However, countertransference is the overinvolvement of the therapist's emotions in taking feelings from another relationship and applying the feelings in a therapeutic context. Another difference is that parallel process is concerned with the nature of the therapeutic bond in a more specific way: the client has issues that the therapist resonates with and responds to from the experience of their own life. 

Normalization is not a term used in addressing client-professional interactions.

75.

The following diagnosis is the MOST egodystonic:

  • Bulimia nervosa

  • Borderline personality disorder

  • Anorexia nervosa

  • Autism spectrum disorder

Correct answer: Bulimia nervosa

Egodystonic refers to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are unacceptable to the individual and, therefore, cause great internal conflict. Individuals with bulimia nervosa often experience egodystonia because, despite their dysfunctional eating and purging behaviors, their weight often remains the same.

Individuals who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are often egosyntonic because they are in denial about how their behaviors impact others. Individuals with anorexia nervosa are also egosyntonic because their behaviors, like restricting calories or overexercising, result in a decrease in weight, which is the desired result. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder can often lack the insight required for one's behavior to be egodystonic.

76.

In social research designs using statistical methods of regression analysis, which of the following BEST describes the concept of regression?

  • It is a measure of the strength and direction (positive or negative) of a relationship between one variable of interest and one or more other variables.

  • It describes a result in which, over a period of time, data that indicated change (e.g., in a behavior or symptom) shows evidence of returning to original (baseline) levels.

  • It is a statistic that provides evidence of the degree to which one variable or event causes another.

  • It is a condition in which a person copes with stress by behaving in an immature or age inappropriate way.

Correct answer: It is a measure of the strength and direction (positive or negative) of a relationship between one variable of interest and one or more other variables.

Regression as a statistical method bears little or no resemblance to the definition of psychological/psychodynamic regression. It is a measure of the degree to which one variable (or a measure of that variable) is related to one or more others.

The other options are incorrect because regression does not assume that finding a significant relationship also implies or verifies causality. In this case, it is also not "where a person copes with stress by behaving in an immature or age inappropriate way" because this is describing regression as a defense mechanism.

77.

You are employed by Child Protective Services and determine that David, a four-year-old child, has been sexually abused by a relative who provides care for him on a regular basis. David's parents adamantly deny that the abuse has occurred. 

You should:

  • Take measures to ensure David's safety

  • Confront the parents with your information

  • Suggest the family receive therapy while David is still living at home

  • Force David's parents to admit the abuse

Correct answer: Take measures to ensure David's safety

In this question, the safety of David is the most important issue to consider. Because of this, you should be primarily concerned that he is kept safe, which, in this question, would likely mean not returning to his parents' (or the relative's) care in the near future.

While it would be appropriate for you to confront the parents with your information, the primary concern should not be for the parents to admit to the abuse but, again, to ensure David's safety. Similarly, you cannot force David's parents to admit the abuse has occurred.

78.

You are working with a new client, and you are gathering important information to help you define their problems and arrive at potential solutions. What stage of the intervention process are you in?

  • Assessment of strengths and needs

  • Engagement with client

  • Planning or design of intervention

  • Evaluation of efforts 

Correct answer: Assessment of strengths and needs

During the stage of assessment of strengths and needs, the social worker collects important information to define the client's problem and potential solutions. During this stage, the social worker may also identify collaterals from whom additional information can be collected. 

The stage of engagement with the client involves seeking information about why the client is seeking change, including why they've chosen to seek change now. It also involves discussing the specifics of the helping relationship, including the role of the social worker.

During the stage of planning or design of the intervention, the social worker and client develop goals related to the problem and formulate specific action plans.

Finally, the evaluation of efforts stage involves determining whether goals and objectives have been met, using both objective and subjective reports.

79.

The type of practice situations that represent the HIGHEST order of ethical dilemma are:

  • Situations that create conflict between two or more core social work values

  • Those in which information given by a client indicates that some type of "dual relationship" with the social worker is present due to circumstances that were not within the control of either party

  • Those in which the social worker recognizes a client's problem(s) to be outside the scope of his/her practice or expertise, and the client expresses negative feelings about being referred to someone else

Correct answer: Situations that create conflict between two or more core social work values

Ethical dilemmas are constituted by instances in which core professional values within the profession conflict. An ethical dilemma arises when the social worker's professional duties and obligations, based on the established set of social work values, may present choices in which one value (or set of values) must be determined to take precedence over another.

A social worker may have a dual relationship with a client (for example, the social worker might be the client's therapist, but her children may also go to the same school as the client's), but these situations are not necessarily the "highest order" of ethical dilemma as they are usually easily resolved by the social worker referring the client elsewhere if either feels uncomfortable. A difficult situation may arise if the social worker wishes to refer the client to a more experienced clinician, but the client feels uncomfortable with this. However, this is also not the "highest order" of ethical dilemma and may be resolved upon further exploration of the client's feelings.

80.

The following is the LEAST true about those who are in abusive relationships:

  • They tend to leave suddenly

  • They stay for economic reasons

  • They are hopeful that the abuser will change

  • They fear social isolation

Correct answer: They tend to leave suddenly

Though experiences vary, those suffering in abusive relationships go through leaving as a process that involves many stages before physically leaving.

The other options are some of the major reasons people stay in abusive relationships.

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