Abnormal Psychology Final- Chapter 16

The enduring pattern of inner thoughts and emotions along with outward behavior that is unique to each individual is termed:

personality

What differentiates normal personality characteristics from personality disorders?

the specific characteristics the degree of inflexibility and maladaptiveness the length of time one possesses the characteristics All of the above are correct

DSM-5, like its predecessor, DSM-IV-TR, identifies 10 personality disorders utilizing a:

categorical approach

One reason that the personality disorders are difficult to treat is that the afflicted individuals:

are frequently unaware that they have a problem

Personality disorders are categorized into three main clusters that include all of the following EXCEPT:

schizophrenia

The categorical approach to personality disorders assumes that:

problematic personality traits are either present or absent

If you believe that personality disorders are BEST understood as a matter of degree in difference from typical personality rather than as a specific diagnosis, you agree with:

the dimensional approach

An individual has just received a diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder. That individual is MOST likely to have a parent or sibling who has:

schizophrenia

The category of "odd" personality disorders includes the traits of:

extreme suspiciousness, social withdrawal, and cognitive and pereceptual peculiarities

"It is clear that very demanding parents caused this person to develop paranoid personality disorder." This statement MOST likely would be made by someone from which of the following theoretical perspectives?

psychodynamic

A personal experiencing paranoid personality disorder frequently says things like "You’ve got to get them before they get you," and "People have been sinners since the Garden of Eden." If these sayings reflect maladaptive assumptions the person has about people in general, the theorist who would be LEAST surprised would have which theoretical position?

cognitive

One similarity of those experiencing paranoid personality disorder and those experiencing schizoid personality disorder is that they tend:

not to have close ties to others

Wes has always been a loner. He has never much cared for being with other people and does not form relationships easily. He appears to be without emotion. We may be exhibiting:

schizoid personality disorder

The parents of those with schizoid personality disorder are MOST likely to have been:

unaccepting

An individual diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder reports having a great deal of difficulty figuring out how others feel, and as a child had difficulty developing adequate language skills. These findings would make the MOST sense to a theorist with which background?

cognitive

There is a new game called "Moods" where one acts out the mood listed on a card. Being encouraged to play this game is most like the treatment ___________ might use for those with schizoid disorders.

cognitive therapists

Schizotypal personality disorders differ from other "odd" personality disorders in that they are related to schizophrenia and:

mood disorders

A belief that the news anchor on CNN is giving one important messages about one’s behavior reflects:

ideas of reference

The disorder that appears to be MOST closely related to the schizotypal personality disorder is:

schizophrenia

A client has enlarged brain ventricles and a measurable loss of gray matter. These symptoms are:

biological, and the most likely diagnosis is schizotypal personality disorder

As part of their therapy, clients learn to evaluate their unusual thoughts, track the accuracy of "magical" predictions, and reconnect with the world and with their limitations. The diagnoses of these clients would MOST likely be in which of the following broad categories of personality disorder?

"odd"

Which category of personality disorder contains the disorders MOST commonly diagnosed?

"dramatic"

A friend of yours says, "A 15-year-old high schooler accused of shooting several classmates received a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder." Your MOST accurate reply would be:

"No; this kid is too young for that diagnosis."

Which of these well-known people appears to have displayed symptoms of antisocial personality disorder?

Bernie Madoff

Which of the following statements is NOT generally true of those with antisocial personality disorder?

They care for no one’s safety, except theirs and their children

A friend says to you, "He must have antisocial personality disorder; look how careful he is about his own well-being, but how careless he is about others’ safety." Your MOST accurate reply would be:

"You’re partly right; most people with antisocial personality disorder are careless about their own safety, as well as the safety of others

Which of the following statements BEST represents current knowledge about mass murderers?

We really don’t know what causes mass murders to act or how to treat them

Which of the following is MOST characteristic of mass murderers?

feelings of persecution and desire for revenge

The two childhood disorders that have been related to later antisocial personality disorder are:

conduct disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

The fact that children may learn antisocial behavior by modeling parental conflict and aggressiveness provides support for:

behavioral theory

Giving in to a child’s refusal to comply with a parental request may inadvertently reinforce stubborn and defiant behavior, setting the scene for the development of antisocial personality disorder. This is most likely a ____________ disorder.

behavioral

Assume a study of prison inmates diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder shows that they generally experience less anxiety than other people when they lie or "con" others. This outcome would most strongly support which theoretical position?

biological

An individual with a diagnosed personality disorder is emotionally unstable, impulsive, and reckless. This person’s diagnosis is likely to be which of the following personalty disorders?

borderline

"That personality disorder has become so common, I encounter it almost every day in the emergency room." MOST likely, this doctor is talking about which personality disorder?

borderline

What is a common reason for the hospitalization of people with borderline personality disorder?

they may attempt suicide or otherwise hurt themselves

Studies of those diagnosed with borderline personality disorder show that:

over half attempted suicide at least once in their lives, and about 10 percent succeed

Gort’s parents never quite liked him, probably did not want children in the first place. He just was not accepted. It was clear early in school that Gort had a low opinion of himself and did not know how to interact with the other children. How he cuts himself and has been to the ER several times. This is a description of the possible development of:

borderline personality disorder

If an individual has damage to the prefrontal cortex, which of the following symptoms would MOST likely be observed?

deficits in planning, self-control, and decision making

Which of the following would MOST clearly fit into the biosocial theory of the development of borderline personality disorder?

an individual who has difficulty controlling internal emotions and parents who mislabel those emotions

"That’s it!" says your friend, the psychotherapist. "I can’t work with that client. As soon as I show any empathy at all, it becomes almost impossible to challenge the client, and the client keeps calling me at all hours of the day." MOST likely, this is a client with:

borderline personality disorder

A friend asks your advice about the MOST effective therapy to use for treating borderline personality disorder. Your BEST answer is:

"Research suggests that dialectical behavior therapy is the most effective."

Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of dialectical behavior therapy, would have diagnosed her young adult self with:

borderline personality disorder

Dialectical behavior therapy emphasizes all of the following EXCEPT:

the use of antipsychotic medications in an outpatient setting

A client is searching for the BEST treatment for borderline personality disorder. Will drug treatment be effective if it is the only intervention the client receives?

No; they should be used along with psychotherapy, if used at all

"You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself…/You’re so vain, you probably think thissong is about you/You’re so vain…" sang Carly Simon in the 1973 #1 hit, "You’re So Vain." If the subject of the song were diagnosed with a personality disorder, which of the following would be the MOST likely diagnosis?

histrionic

A person constantly strives to be the center of attention, yet the ideas the person so eloquently expresses are usually shallow and changeable. If this person were diagnosed with a personality disorder, it MOST likely would be:

histrionic

The type of therapist MOST likely to try to help people diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder to believe they are not helpless, and to teach them better thinking skills, is a ____________ therapist:

cognitive

The personality disorder that is characterized by the need for undying love and admiration is:

narcissistic

The "flower children" of the 1960s and 1970s have sometimes been called the "me" generation, reflecting the supposed self-centered indvidualism of the time. If this is true, a sociocultural theorist would predict a larger than usual percentage of which kind of personality disorder among the aging "me" generation?

narcissistic

You might suspect an "era of narcissism" is approaching for a country when:

there is increasing emphasis on self-expression and competitiveness

A client is initially very resistant to therapy, cannot acknowledge weaknesses, and ignores feedback. MOST likely, the client is experiencing:

narcissistic personality disorder, and will not make much progress in therapy

Elena can’t seem to establish social ties because she is afraid of being embarrassed or appearing foolish. She is easily hurt by criticism and is not willing to go into unfamiliar situations. She may be experiencing:

avoidant personality disorder

If a person primarily fears close social relationships, one would MOST likely conclude that the person is experiencing:

avoidant personality disorder

A client being treated for avoidant personality disorder must increase the number of social contacts per day. The person, at the least, must greet others with the sentence, "Hello; how are you doing?" MOST likely, the therapist has which theoretical background?

behavioral

Cognitive therapy for avoidant personality disorder focuses on:

increasing the client’s tolerance of emotional discomfort and building up his or her self-image

People with avoidant personality disorder have difficulty ___________ relationships, while people with dependent personality disorder have difficulty ______________ relationships.

initiating ; ending

If parents excessively reinforces clinging and punish attempts at independence, the result might be the development of:

dependent personality disorder

"Be loyal to your family" was what the child heard all the time, along with "You shouldn’t — you can’t — do it on your own, so don’t even try." A behaviorist would say this kind of upbringing would be MOST likely to produce which of the personality disorders in the child, when he or she reached adulthood?

dependent

One especially good reason to use a form of group therapy in the treatment of dependent personality disorder is that:

the group members can model appropriate behaviors and expression of feelings to one another

The TV show Monk features a detective who is very seldom happy, has few good friends, has a very rigid order and way in which he must do things, and who frequently has difficulty making up his mind about what to do. If he were diagnosed with a personality disorder, it would MOST likely be a __________ disorder

obsessive-compulsive

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is MOST common among:

men with jobs

Psychodynamic theorists explain obsessive-compulsive personality disorder as a fixation at the:

anal stage

With the help of a therapist, a client with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder has experienced a dramatic decrease in both dichotomous thinking and worrying. The client’s behavior is:

uncommon; most with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder do not seek help, and this person is most likely receiving cognitive therapy

A group of diagnostic clinicians can’t agree with each other on appropriate personality disorder diagnoses for several clients. In fact, it is obvious that, in many cases, they have inaccurately made their diagnoses. Assuming they are competent clinicians, this situation would indicate the DSM-5 categories for personality disorder are:

neither reliable nor valid

Of the following statements which one most accurately reflects up-to-date research on DSM-5 categories of personality disorder?

Individuals do not necessarily have to have very similar personalities to receive the same diagnosis

DSM-5 has been described as functioning like a light switch, which can be "on" or "off." In other words, one either does or does not qualify for a personality disorder diagnosis. Some theorists suggest that degree of symptoms, not symptom absence or presence, is more important and simliar to a:

dimmer switch, with the light adjustable from all the way off to all the way on

If instruments such as the "Big Five" are used to describe personality, rather than relying on DSM-5, then diagnoses of psychological disorder would become:

less categorical and more a matter of degree

Currently, the "Big-Five" approach to personality disorders is:

the recipient of recognition, with a great amount of research being done on it

The five traits to be included in future revisions of the DSM-5 that utilize a dimensional approach in diagnosing personality disorders are:

negative affectivity, detachment, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, psychoticism

Only 23 percent of adults report openly expressing their anger. Should they?

No. Ironically, venting appears to make people angrier.