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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Viorst, what are we all striving to be?

2. According to Chapter 6, is sibling rivalry normal and universal?

3. According to Chapter 9, what feeling could be fear of the loss of our own love?

4. In the example of a woman dreaming of a German Nazi officer, she is really associating with what?

5. Seeing our own feelings as those of the new baby's is known as what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author propose that some men compensate for their envy of a woman's ability to have children?

2. According to Chapter 9, what kind of person lacks guilt?

3. What are the four stages of human development that many analysts agree upon and how are they similar to each other?

4. Discuss some of the means, covered in Chapter 2, by which we attempt to restore oneness with our mothers.

5. Why do children experience sibling rivalry?

6. According to Viorst, why is it okay to have fantasies that are inappropriate if they aren't acted upon?

7. What did Stanley Milgram's experiment reveal about people?

8. Viorst lists many things that healthy adults know. Name two.

9. Using an example from the book, describe ways in which the Oedipus complex can play out in the lives of adults.

10. Describe the four stages of standing alone.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chapter 15 talks about the "corporate characteristic" of families, specifically mentioning the Bachs and the Kennedys. Explore this idea of family identity and myths. Using support from the book, in what ways is it helpful for families? In what ways could it be problematic? Consider your own experience and whether your family or friends' families have a "corporate characteristic."

Essay Topic 2

When mothers who reject our dependency push us from the nest too soon, the author says, we "adapt, or crumple, or compromise." Discuss the ways in which children can respond to each individual situation. In what ways can parents help children through such an experience? Why do you feel parents sometimes prematurely demand independence from their children?

Essay Topic 3

What important steps in human development take place at middle age? Discuss how we continue to define who we are through this process.

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