Eight-year-old Randy has behavioral difficulty in school and is overly aggressive with other children. His parents seem to ignore his problems and blame the school and the other children. His parents are convinced that Randy has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. When they take him to a child psychiatrist, the psychiatrist is reluctant to give the diagnosis after observing the unhealthy interactions between the family members and between the parents. The psychiatrist's reluctance to give this diagnosis is based on the related to the cause and diagnosis.

Equifinality

Explanation: Equifinality in psychology is a basic principle that states that one outcome can have many causes. In Randy's case, it could be that there are many reasons he has behavioral problems and is aggressive at school including the unhealthy interactions amongst family members. The psychologist is mindful of this and has to present his diagnosis in such a way that the parents will accept it instead of blaming everyone else.

the earth’s crust is broken into separate pieces called tectonic plates (fig. 7.14). recall that the crust is the solid, rocky, outer shell of the planet. it is composed of two distinctly different types of material: the less-dense continental crust and the more-dense oceanic crust. both types of crust rest atop solid, upper mantle material. the upper mantle, in turn, floats on a denser layer of lower mantle that is much like thick molten tar.

each tectonic plate is free-floating and can move independently. earthquakes and volcanoes are the direct result of the movement of tectonic plates at fault lines. the term fault is used to describe the boundary between tectonic plates. most of the earthquakes and volcanoes around the pacific ocean basin—a pattern known as the “ring of fire”—are due to the movement of tectonic plates in this region. other observable results of short-term plate movement include the gradual widening of the great rift lakes in eastern africa and the rising of the himalayan mountain range. the motion of plates can be described in four general patterns:

collision: when two continental plates are shoved together

subduction: when one plate plunges beneath another (fig. 7.15)

spreading: when two plates are pushed apart (fig. 7.15)

transform faulting: when two plates slide past each other (fig. 7.15)

answer; an active listener;