Deck 1: Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context

Question 1

Regarding the criteria that define abnormality, it would be correct to state that

A) no one criterion has yet been developed that fully defines abnormality.
B) personal distress is the one criterion that defines abnormality.
C) the criteria differ depending on the cause of the psychological disorder.
D) the criteria differ depending on whether the individual has a psychological disorder or a psychological dysfunction.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

After college graduation, two of your friends are interested in careers in the helping professions. Anna wants to become a psychiatrist; Carl plans on becoming a psychologist. Since you are taking a course in Abnormal Psychology, they ask you for career advice. You would tell

A) Anna to apply to medical school and Carl to study psychology at the graduate level.
B) Carl to apply to medical school and Anna to study psychology at the graduate level.
C) both of them to apply to medical school.
D) both of them to apply to graduate school.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to the authors of your textbook, the definition of a psychological disorder is associated with ___________.

A) stress
B) impaired functioning
C) culturally expected responses
D) psychotic symptoms

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Rocky Starr is a rocker who wears outlandish female makeup and women's clothing when performing on stage. This behavior is considered

A) more abnormal than that of a business man who suddenly starts to do so.
B) less abnormal than that of the business man because it contributes to his job success.
C) less abnormal than that of a female who wears makeup every day.
D) just as abnormal as that of the business man who starts wearing makeup.

Question 5

The scientific study of psychological disorders is called .

A) psychopathology
B) psychoanalysis
C) pseudoscience
D) parapsychology

Question 6

The typical profile or prototype of a disorder reflects the as described in DSM-IV as well as those emerging from DSM-5.

A) theoretical perspectives on abnormality
B) treatments for mental disorders
C) causes of mental illness
D) diagnostic criteria for psychological disorders

Question 7

Dr. Okalemi Watabe is a mental health practioner. All of the following are ways in which she might function as a scientist-practitioner EXCEPT

A) analyzing her own motivations and reasons for helping people with psychological problems.
B) evaluating her own assessments and treatments for effectiveness.
C) conducting research leading to new information about mental disorders and their treatments.
D) using the most current diagnostic and treatment procedures.

Question 8

A is what first brought the individual to therapy; the represents the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that make up a specific disorder.

A) diagnosis; symptoms
B) incidence, prevalence
C) clinical description; presenting problem
D) presenting problem; clinical description

Question 9

A psychological dysfunction refers to

A) a breakdown in cognitive functioning.
B) a breakdown in emotional functioning.
C) a breakdown in behavioral functioning.
D) any one or combination of the above

Question 10

The criterion that a particular behavior be atypical or not culturally expected is insufficient to define abnormality because

A) behavior that occurs infrequently is considered abnormal in every culture.
B) society is less willing to tolerate eccentricity in people who are productive.
C) behaviors vary very little from one culture to another.
D) many people behave in ways that deviate from the average, but this doesn't mean that they have a disorder.

Question 11

Developmental psychopathology refers to the study of changes in

A) abnormal behavior.
B) normal behavior.
C) children's behavior, both normal and abnormal.
D) normal adolescent behavior.

Question 12

Statistical data are often relevant when discussing psychological disorders. For example, a researcher might want to know how many new cases of depression are diagnosed each year, a figure called the of the disorder.

A) prevalence
B) incidence
C) recurrence
D) ratio

Question 13

Prevalence refers to

A) how many people in the population as a whole have a particular disorder.
B) how many new cases of a disorder occur during a given period of time.
C) the percentage of males and females who have a disorder.
D) how many people have recovered from a disorder in a given period of time.

Question 14

A disorder that comes on slowly is said to have a(n) onset.

A) acute
B) chronic
C) insidious
D) overt

Question 15

When Larry was diagnosed with schizophrenia, his family wanted to know how the disorder would affect him and how it would progress. In medical terms, they wanted to know Larry's .

A) diagnosis
B) prognosis
C) psychosocial profile
D) pathology

Question 16

A male college student begins feeling sad and lonely. Although still able to go to classes and work at his job, he finds himself feeling down much of the time and worrying about what is happening to him. Which part of the definition of abnormality applies to his situation?

A) Personal distress
B) Cultural factors
C) Impaired functioning
D) Violation of societal norms

Question 17

Incidence refers to

A) how many people in the population as a whole have a disorder.
B) how many new cases of a disorder occur during a given period of time.
C) the percentage of males and females who have a disorder.
D) how many people have recovered from a disorder in a given period of time.

Question 18

A psychological disorder is described as having an acute onset if the symptoms develop , while it has an insidious onset if the symptoms develop .

A) suddenly; gradually
B) suddenly; atypically
C) gradually; atypically
D) atypically; suddenly

Question 19

Behaviors that deviate from the norm are

A) always seen as a disorder if they violate social norms.
B) considered a disorder regardless of culture.
C) typically seen as a disorder when they impair function.
D) never judged on the basis of the person who does them.

Question 20

In terms of their typical patterns, schizophrenia follows a chronic course, while mood disorders, including depression, follow a(n) course.

A) episodic
B) time-limited
C) guarded
D) insidious

Question 21

The biological and psychological models or theories of abnormality derived originally from the ancient Greek concept in which the

A) mind was considered separate from the body.
B) flow of bodily fluids affected behavior and personality.
C) female reproductive organs were associated with psychopathology.
D) movement of the planets influenced human behavior.

Question 22

Toward the end of the 14th century and continuing into the 15th century, the causes of "madness" were generally attributed to

A) toxins in the blood.
B) religious delusions.
C) brain disease.
D) demons and witches.

Question 23

In ancient Greece, a woman suffering from "hysteria" might be told that her condition could be cured by ________.

A) marriage
B) pregnancy
C) childbirth
D) divorce

Question 24

You are listening to old musical tunes, including "My Melancholy Baby." Your friends are impressed when you tell them that "melancholic," referring to a depressive personality, derives from a Greek word meaning .

A) blood
B) phlegm
C) yellow bile
D) black bile

Question 25

Based on Hippocrates' humoral theory, "sanguine" describes a person who is .

A) pessimistic
B) pale
C) cheerful
D) humorous

Question 26

Since the time of ancient Greece, the concept of a psyche or soul was similar to that of the .

A) brain
B) mind
C) body
D) blood

Question 27

During the Middle Ages, groups of people would suddenly exhibit bizarre behavior such as running out into the street, dancing, shouting, and jumping around. This was known as .

A) tarantism
B) lycanthropy
C) demonic possession
D) the chicken dance

Question 28

At various times in history, in an attempt to explain problematic, irrational behavior, humans have focused on supernatural causes that include all of the following EXCEPT

A) magnetic fields.
B) demons and evil spirits.
C) bodily humors.
D) the moon and stars.

Question 29

Dr. Littlefox studies the origins and causes of psychological disorders, including the biological, psychological, and social dimensions. Dr. Littlefox studies the of a disorder.

A) prognosis
B) etiology
C) outcome
D) psychopathology

Question 30

According to Hippocrates' humoral theory, the "choleric" personality is .

A) hot-tempered
B) easygoing
C) kind
D) cheap

Question 31

In keeping with an accepted treatment for mental illness in the 14th century, a physician treating King Charles VI of France had him moved to the countryside in order to

A) be closer to a hospital that treated mental illness.
B) keep him away from his family.
C) provide clean air, rest, relaxation, and recreation.
D) cure him of hysteria.

Question 32

Which of the following accurately describes common beliefs about people with psychological disorders during the 14th century?

A) They were considered to be suffering from religious delusions and were cared for by members of the church communities.
B) They were seen as possessed by evil spirits and blamed for all misfortunes.
C) They were regarded as basically good individuals who were not responsible for their abnormal behavior.
D) They were provided with medical treatments and sometimes hospitalized because mental illness was regarded as equivalent to physical illness.

Question 33

The belief of homophobic people that the "sin" of homosexuality has resulted in HIV/AIDS is related to the historical concept of as a cause of madness.

A) divine punishment
B) faith healing
C) hysteria
D) sorcery

Question 34

The treatment given to the mentally ill King Charles VI of France showed that the causes of his disorder were attributed to phenomena.

A) natural
B) supernatural
C) both natural and supernatural
D) neither natural nor supernatural

Question 35

Bloodletting, a treatment devised centuries ago to restore the balance of humors, was accomplished with the use of _________.

A) needles
B) leeches
C) tourniquets
D) bacteria

Question 36

The historic belief that the movements and/or positions of the moon, stars, and planets influence human behavior is still held by followers of the pseudoscience called .

A) graphology
B) parapsychology
C) astronomy
D) astrology

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT one of the causes of psychopathology suggested by the Greek physician Hippocrates (400 BC)?

A) Head trauma
B) Brain pathology
C) Genetics
D) Spirit possession

Question 38

One hot and humid night, one of your friends suggests doing some really crazy things. You look up at the sky and say, "It must be the full moon." Your statement reflects the concept from which the word is derived.

A) lunatic
B) idiot
C) maniac
D) psychopath

Question 39

During the Middle Ages, as well as at other times, mentally ill people were sometimes forced to undergo the religious ritual called exorcism in order to

A) cure the mental illness by making the individual more religious.
B) build up muscle strength and make the person healthier.
C) rid the individual's body of evil spirits.
D) prove that the person was not a witch.

Question 40

In an attempt to rid the body of the excessive humors thought to be causing psychological disorders, physicians throughout history have used treatments such as .

A) bloodletting
B) induced seizures
C) exorcism
D) drilling through the skull

Question 41

With the discovery of the major tranquilizers called , psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and aggressiveness were able to be controlled.

A) neuroleptics
B) benzodiazepines
C) bromides
D) opiates

Question 42

In the 19th century, John P. Gray, a well-known psychiatrist in the US, believed that mental illness was due to ____________.

A) psychological factors
B) physical causes
C) social/environmental influences
D) unknown influences

Question 43

Moral treatment for mental patients involved

A) treating institutionalized patients as normally as possible.
B) judging abnormal behavior on the basis of moral values.
C) the use of negative consequences to shape behavior.
D) isolating institutionalized patients until they behaved morally.

Question 44

Benzodiazepines, or "minor" tranquilizers such as Valium and Librium, are effective in reducing the symptoms of __________.

A) depression
B) anxiety
C) schizophrenia
D) hysteria

Question 45

The effect of electroconvulsive therapy in making a person feel elated and therefore help depression was discovered by

A) John Gray, who was the champion of the biological tradition in the US.
B) a Dutch physician who was a friend of Benjamin Franklin.
C) Hippocrates, who was the father of medicine.
D) Joseph von Meduna, who was a Hungarian psychiatrist.

Question 46

The idea that psychological disorders could be classified based on their symptoms, onset, time course, and cause is attributed to

A) Anton Mesner.
B) Emil Kraepelin.
C) John Grey.
D) Dorothea Dix.

Question 47

The concept of hysteria, which traditionally meant physical symptoms for which no organic pathology could be found, is now associated with which DSM-5 classification?

A) Anxiety disorders
B) Neurosis
C) PMS
D) Somatic symptom disorders

Question 48

The significance of the cure for syphilis was that

A) physicians were correct in prescribing rest and relaxation.
B) all forms of "madness" now had a cure.
C) paralysis was now curable.
D) behavioral and cognitive symptoms were traced to a curable infection.

Question 49

In contrast to the asylums of the early 18th century, the psychosocial approach called moral therapy advocated all of the following EXCEPT

A) restraint and seclusion.
B) normal social interaction.
C) individual attention from the hospital staff.
D) nurturing interpersonal relationships.

Question 50

Until the 1970s, hysterical disorders were diagnosed only in women. In fact, the term "hysteria" derives from the Greek hysteron, which means _.

A) ovary
B) uterus
C) pregnancy
D) vagina

Question 51

The traditional tendency to stigmatize women as "hysterical" derived from Hippocrates' concept of ____________.

A) the "wandering uterus"
B) an "incompetent cervix"
C) "penis envy"
D) "pelvic dysfunction"

Question 52

In the 1930s, when insulin shock therapy was deemed too risky as a treatment for mental disorder, __________________ began to be used instead.

A) bromides
B) electroconvulsive therapy
C) megavitamin therapy
D) moral therapy

Question 53

In ancient Greece, "humoral excesses" thought to be causing psychological disorders were treated by

A) increasing or decreasing the person's exposure to heat, dryness, moisture, or cold.
B) herbal remedies.
C) decreasing both caloric and liquid intake.
D) lowering the person's body temperature for extended periods of time.

Question 54

Induced vomiting was a 17th century treatment for depression. As described in Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), this could be accomplished by eating and a half-boiled cabbage.

A) raw meat
B) ice
C) coal
D) tobacco

Question 55

Somatic symptom disorders, a current DSM-5 classification that evolved from the concept of "hysteria," affect

A) men only.
B) women only.
C) men or women.
D) children only.

Question 56

The first significant supporting evidence for a biological cause of a mental disorder was the 19th century discovery that the psychotic disorder called general paresis was caused by the same bacterial microorganism that causes __________.

A) malaria
B) Alzheimer's disease
C) syphilis
D) hysteria

Question 57

The first effective medications for severe psychotic disorders were developed in the .

A) late 19th century
B) early 20th century
C) 1950s
D) 1990s

Question 58

In the late 1800s, the emphasis on a biological cause of mental disorder resulted ironically in reduced interest in treatments for mental patients because it was thought that

A) physicians should devote more time to the physically ill.
B) patients would improve more rapidly if they were not hospitalized.
C) the hospital staff was not adequately trained to administer new treatments.
D) mental illness was due to an undiscovered brain pathology and was incurable.

Question 59

Although electroconvulsive therapy is controversial, we still use it today. It is interesting that it is used

A) despite possible harmful side effects.
B) and may cause serious fatal outcomes such as heart attacks.
C) despite the fact that we have little knowledge of how it works.
D) despite the fact that the success rate is about 25%.

Question 60

After Philippe Pinel introduced moral therapy as a treatment in mental hospitals in France, a similar type of socially facilitative environment was first established in a US hospital by

A) Benjamin Rush.
B) William Tuke.
C) Joseph von Medina.
D) Manfred Sakel.

Question 61

You have been asked to give a report on the mental hygiene movement and its foremost crusader Dorothea Dix, who campaigned for more humane treatment of the insane. After mentioning all of her accomplishments, you note the unforeseen consequence of her efforts, namely,

A) a decrease in the number of mental patients in institutions, forcing many to close.
B) an increase in the number of mental patients, resulting in insufficient staff to care for them.
C) a change from custodial care to moral therapy for institutionalized patients.
D) more patients receiving psychotherapy and fewer receiving medication.

Question 62

According to Freudian theory, anxiety is a signal for the ego to marshal its mechanisms of defense, which function as

A) reality-based actions.
B) unconscious protective processes.
C) conscious efforts to maintain control.
D) primitive emotional responses.

Question 63

In using hypnosis to treat patients with psychological disorders, Freud discovered

A) that it is therapeutic to recall and relive emotionally traumatic events.
B) that patients are unable to process emotionally charged information.
C) that hypnosis was less effective than mesmerism.
D) the existence of conscious memories.

Question 64

A classmate in your psychology course is worried about the selfish and sometimes dangerous drives of the id. You respond by saying that

A) each of us develops an ego to help us behave more realistically.
B) id fantasies never become reality.
C) psychologists disproved Freud's theories a long time ago.
D) since id impulses are usually part of consciousness awareness, we can learn to control them.

Question 65

The warring id and superego cause anxiety as a result of

A) intrapsychic conflict.
B) displacement.
C) conscience judging the ego ideal.
D) defense mechanisms.

Question 66

A "double blind" experiment to ascertain the effectiveness of animal magnetism therapy was conducted by

A) Philippe Pinel.
B) Anton Mesmer.
C) Sigmund Freud.
D) Benjamin Franklin.

Question 67

In Freudian theory "libido" and "thanatos" represent the two basic but opposing drives of .

A) life and death
B) sex and celibacy
C) good and evil
D) pleasure and pain

Question 68

Anton Mesmer, an early 18th century physician, purported to cure patients by unblocking their flow of a bodily fluid he called "animal magnetism." In fact, any effectiveness of his methods was actually due to

A) undetectable magnetic fields.
B) chemically induced humoral balance.
C) mental telepathy.
D) the power of suggestion.

Question 69

Realizing that patients were often unaware of material previously recalled under hypnosis, Charcot, Breuer, and Freud hypothesized the existence of , a concept considered one of the most important developments in the history of psychopathology.

A) neurosis
B) the unconscious mind
C) the Electra complex
D) catharsis

Question 70

According to psychoanalytic theory, the develops early in life to ensure that we can adapt to the demands of the real world while still finding ways to meet our basic needs.

A) ego
B) superego
C) libido
D) ideal self

Question 71

After the mid 1800s, moral therapy declined as a treatment for the mentally ill because

A) the number of patients in mental institutions also declined.
B) immigrants caused an increase in the mental hospital population.
C) the number of people available to staff mental hospitals increased.
D) new biologically based treatments became available.

Question 72

Freud's technique included the release of emotional material, which was known as .

A) insight
B) catharsis
C) free association
D) wish fulfillment

Question 73

When Johnny wanted a cookie before dinner, he thought about just going and taking one without permission. However, after thinking about it, he decided to get permission from his mom. Johnny was operating according to the principle.

A) pleasure
B) reality
C) moral
D) Oedipal

Question 74

You have just read a newspaper article about a savage rape and murder. You wonder how someone could commit such a horrible crime. Then you recall from your study of Freudian theory that according to Freud, anyone could be a killer or rapist if impulses were not well controlled.

A) egoistic
B) phallic
C) id
D) mesmeric

Question 75

As used in modern terminology to reflect coping styles, defense mechanisms

A) can be either adaptive or maladaptive.
B) are always maladaptive.
C) are never adaptive.
D) are always self-defeating.

Question 76

Severe internal conflicts that produce a lot of anxiety or other emotions can trigger self-defeating defensive processes or symptoms such as

A) acute and posttraumatic stress symptoms.
B) depression or bipolar symptoms.
C) phobic or obsessive symptoms.
D) suicidal or aggressive symptoms.

Question 77

According to psychoanalytic theory, the id operates on the "pleasure principle," so it

A) adheres to social rules and regulations.
B) thinks in an unemotional, logical, and rational manner.
C) is sexual, aggressive, selfish, and envious.
D) utilizes secondary process thinking.

Question 78

If you were asked to explain Freud's structure of the mind to a friend who was unfamiliar with psychology, you might use an organizational analogy in which the id would be the employee who comes to work late and takes very long lunch hours, the superego would be the building security guard, and the ego would be

A) a newly hired employee.
B) a recently fired employee.
C) a manager.
D) a salesperson.

Question 79

Although Freud conceptualized the libido as the life energy within the id, many people think of it as the __________.

A) death instinct
B) sex drive
C) conscience
D) Oedipal conflict

Question 80

In the classic case of Anna O. in 1895, the neurologist Breuer treated her "hysterical" symptoms by using _________.

A) hydrotherapy
B) hypnosis
C) faith healing
D) the placebo effect