The nurse collecting family assessment data asks. “Who is in your family and where do y live?” Which of following is nurse attempting to identify?

Correct Answer: A. Boundaries

Family boundaries are parameters that define who is inside and outside the system. The best method of obtaining this information is asking the family directly who they consider to be members. Every system has ways of including and excluding elements so that the line between those within the system and those outside of the system is clear to all. If a family is permeable and has vague boundaries it is considered “open.” Open boundary systems allow elements and situations outside the family to influence it. It may even welcome external influences. Closed boundary systems isolate its members from the environment and seem isolated and self-contained. No family system is completely closed or completely open.

• Option B: Ethnicity is a broader term than race. The term is used to categorize groups of people according to their cultural expression and identification. Commonalities such as racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin may be used to describe someone’s ethnicity.
• Option C: The relationship between two people or groups is the way in which they feel and behave towards each other. A relationship is a close connection between two people, especially one involving romantic or sexual feelings.
• Option D: Triangulation or triangling is defined in the AAMFT Family Therapy Glossary as the “process that occurs when a third person is introduced into a dyadic relationship to balance either excessive intimacy, conflict, or distance and provide stability in the system” (Evert et al. 1984 p. 32). This concept is associated with Murray Bowen (1978) who saw triangulation as a way to reduce anxiety in a dyadic relationship.