Which example of behavior within a family system should be ...

[cherise1989]

Which example of behavior within a family system should be assessed as double-bind communication?
 
  a. A mother tells her daughter, You make me so mad that sometimes I wish I had never had you..
  b. A teenager tells her father, You are treating me like a baby when you tell me I must be home by 10 PM on a school night..
  c. A son tells his mother, You worry too much about what might happen; nothing has happened yet so why worry?
  d. A wife tells her husband, You go ahead and go bowling and try not to worry about me falling on my crutches while I'm alone at home..

Question 2

A patient with schizophrenia tells the nurse I don't know, it's just all the same. You never know. It comes, it goes, it blows away. Get it? The best response for the nurse to make would be:
 
  a. Nothing you are saying is clear; you are not making sense..
  b. Yes, life can be like that sometimes, very confusing..
  c. Try to organize your thoughts and then tell me again..
  d. I am having difficulty understanding what you are saying..

[phuda]

Answer to Question 1

D
A double-bind communication is one that is inherently contradictory, that is, a comment that gives conflicting directions. In this case, the wife on crutches suggests that her husband should go bowling but then indicates that she will be at greater risk if he does, which in effect tells him go ahead and don't do it at the same time. This remark places the husband in a double bind, a situation in which no acceptable response exists. Options A, B, and C are clear, direct communications.

Answer to Question 2

D
When a patient's speech is loosely associated, confused, and disorganized, it is important to inform that patient that you have not understood what he has said. This provides the patient with an opportunity to clarify and be assured that the nurse has understood him and will respond appropriately. Stating, You are not making sense places all responsibility for communication on the patient and suggests that the nurse believes the patient is defective; this would likely frustrate and distress the patient and reduce his self-esteem. Pretending to understand is nontherapeutic because it gives the patient the false impression that he is communicating effectively. Asking him to organize his thoughts is asking him to do something that is very difficult for him to do; his cognitive impairment is persistent and broad, not momentary or limited.