1
School of Social Work
Florida International University
MSW III - Licensure Preparation Course
HBSE Theories
Practice Questions - Handout C
1. The treatment approach in which the client’s dysfunctional behavior is corrected
through the use of learning theory is
1. Client-centered therapy.
2. Transactional analysis.
3. Behavioral modification therapy.
4. Ego-analytic therapy.
2. The factor that is least necessary to assess ego functioning is
1. Age.
2. Reality testing.
3. Education.
4. Cultural roots.
3. A 40 year old married man and father of two children has difficulty relating and
communicating with his family. He has no difficulty interacting with men on the
softball team. This man probably has problems with
1. Identification.
2. Role.
3. Introjection.
4. Aggression.
4. Erickson’s study of child-training systems in primitive societies reveals that
1. Primitive societies lack systemic child-rearing patterns.
2. Child-training in primitive societies represent infantile stages of humankind.
3. Child-training practices are arrested deviations from our own progressive
norms.
4. Primitive child-training practices as a form of mature human living reflect
homogeneity and a simple integrity..
2
5. A social worker who employs token systems in a mental hospital is using
1. Operant techniques.
2. Respondent techniques.
3. Cognitive symbolic techniques.
4. Specialized techniques.
6. A young man in his twenties has problems establishing satisfying sexual
relationships with women. According to Erickson, the phase of the life crisis schema
this situation represents is
1. Mistrust vs. trust.
2. Autonomy vs. shame.
3. Identity vs. role confusion.
4. Intimacy vs. isolation.
7. Mrs. Ruff cannot allow herself to express her anger with her husband, so she
explodes with her son. The defense mechanism that is operating is
1. Displacement.
2. Projection.
3. Reaction-formation.
4. Denial.
8. The theorist who developed the concept of the conflict-free sphere was
1. Sullivan.
2. Hartman.
3. Rappaport.
4. Kohut.
9. Amniocentesis is
1. Sudden loss of memory.
2. A test of the condition of the fetus.
3. The inflammation of the amniotic fluids.
4. A form of senility.
10. The developmental stage where children are extremely concerned with absolutes is
1. Middle latency.
2. Late latency.
3. Early latency.
4. Phallic stage.
3
11. Characteristic behavior of a three-year-old might be
1. Increased sexual tensions.
2. A tendency to resist external influences.
3. A harsh superego.
4. Aggression towards others.
12. A form of ventilation used to bring repressed material into consciousness is called
1. Catharsis.
2. Flooding.
3. Hysteria.
4. Transactional analysis.
13. Jean Piaget is well known for his contributions in
1. Early social development.
2. The cognitive development of children.
3. Treatment skills for child analysis.
4. The adaptive use of time.
14. Behaviorist are interested primarily in
1. Having the client understand his or her behavior
2. Relating day-to-day behavior to dream content.
3. Observing unconscious behavior patterns.
4. Affecting observable, measurable behavior
15. When a client experiences some indecisiveness and ambivalence in choosing a
desired object or goal, the psychological principle involved is called
1. Paralysis.
2. Apathy.
3. Conflict.
4. Task-orientation.
16. An infant manifests a fear of strangers at
1. One month.
2. Three months.
3. Six months.
4. One year.
4
Questions 17, 18, and 19 are based on the following paragraph:
A 40-year-old teacher is admitted to the hospital with back pain of unknown origin. Her
medical history includes many past hospitalizations for a variety of illnesses. During the
last year she suffered from a number of uncomfortable physical symptoms with many
associated aches and pains. As a result, she has been unable to work and has been on
paid leave from her work. After admission and extensive testing, no organic basis was
found for her illness.
17. The most likely diagnosis is
1. Malingering.
2. A mood disorder.
3. Borderline personality disorder.
4. Neurosis.
18. During the initial hospital medical diagnostic work up, the social worker’s most
appropriate role is
1. Confrontational.
2. To Mediate.
3. Supportive.
4. Insight-promoting.
19. After the medical examination revealed no organic basis for her symptoms, the
social worker’s most likely role would be to join the hospital staff in
1. Supporting repression of unconscious forces.
2. Informing this patient of the absence of an organic basis to her illness.
3. Discharging her from the hospital.
4. Exploring her needs for malingering.
20. Mrs. Shrubs comes into therapy with a primary complaint of marital discord. She
describes the marriage as one in which she feels neglected by her husband. He
travels frequently for business, regularly exercises for two hours per day and plays
golf all day Saturday and Sunday. When he is home he goes to bed at 9pm and
wakes early to jog. She expresses anger because he is not helpful in raising their
children and is inattentive top her needs. He seems blissfully oblivious to her
concerns. She describes a number of examples of his behavior which she finds
difficult. While speaking of this, she is quite calm, sometimes smiles, cites self-help
5
books she has read, and often refers to television shows which depict marital
unhappiness. She notes she has felt this way for 11 years. The defense mechanism
that is operating is
1.
2.
3.
4.
Projection
Reaction-formation
Isolation of Affect
Denial
All questions have been taken directly from Social Work Examination Services:
Comprehensive Study Guide and Practice Questions, Volume 2, Version 5.7 with
full permission granted by SWES 2013.