Cierpka's three-level model of family assessment includes which levels?

• A. Individual; Dyadic or Triadic levels; Whole system
• B. Individual; Single; External
• C. Family; Community; Society
• D. Core; Periphery; Boundary

Answer: (A)

Cierpka's model views family functioning as three nested levels. First, the individual level focuses on each member’s thoughts, emotions, and coping. Next is the dyadic or triadic level, which examines the interactions and relationships between two people (such as partners or parent–child pairs) and sometimes three-person dynamics. Finally, the whole-system level looks at the family as a unit, including overall patterns of communication, boundaries, roles, and how subsystems fit together. This framing—individual, then dyadic/triadic relationships, then the entire family system—best captures how family processes unfold across different layers.

Other options don’t align with this framework: they propose external, macro, or non-family concepts, or mix in terms like core/periphery/boundary that aren’t the three levels used in this model.