Deck 1: Abnormal Behaviour in Historical Context

Question 1

The term psychotherapist is used to describe

A) clinical psychologists and psychiatrists only.
B) people who provide therapy but who do not hold medical degrees.
C) people who followed in the traditions of Sigmund Freud.
D) anyone who is trained to treat psychopathological disorders.

Answer 1

anyone who is trained to treat psychopathological disorders.

Question 2

If a psychological disorder is said to have an acute onset,how did the symptoms develop?

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

Answer 2

suddenly

Question 3

Frank drinks three bottles of wine each day and believes he would be fine if people would just "mind their own business." Which criterion for abnormality is absent from this scenario?

A) objective harm to others
B) personal distress
C) maladaptiveness
D) qualitative uniqueness

Answer 3

personal distress

Question 4

Psychological disorders can be described as following a typical course or individual pattern.Disorders that tend to last a long time follow one type of course,whereas disorders that show a discontinuous,repetitive pattern follow another type of course.What are these courses,respectively?

A) chronic; episodic
B) chronic; time-limited
C) pervasive; time-limited
D) insidious; recurrent

Question 5

When using the psychological disorder criteria,when would an individual be assessed as having a cognitive dysfunction?

A) when his or her thought processes are totally out of touch with reality
B) when he or she is extremely distressed
C) when his or her behaviour violates social norms
D) when he or she avoids interactions with other people

Question 6

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

A) personal distress
B) lack of social support
C) impaired functioning
D) violation of societal norms

Question 7

What is the relationship between a presenting problem and a clinical description?

A) Obtaining the patient's clinical description is the first step in determining what the patient's presenting problem is.
B) Describing the patient's presenting problem is the first step in determining the patient's clinical description.
C) The presenting problem refers to the current status of a distressed individual; the clinical description refers to the treatment plan.
D) The presenting problem refers to symptoms that last only a short time, whereas the clinical description refers to symptoms that are chronic.

Question 8

What is the formal definition of psychopathology?

A) the medications used to treat some psychological disorders
B) the criteria used to define psychological disorders
C) the psychological therapies used to treat psychological disorders
D) the scientific study of psychological disorders

Question 9

Popular musician Lady Gaga has performed with blood spurting out of her clothes.Why might having blood spurt from her clothes be considered abnormal?

A) because her behaviour demonstrates a sense of subjective discomfort
B) because she has an inability to distinguish right from wrong
C) because it is a deviation from the what is typical in her society
D) because she shows an inability to function effectively

Question 10

When 20-year-old Larry was first identified as suffering from schizophrenia,his family wanted to know how the disorder would progress and how it would affect him in the future.In medical terms,what did the family want to know?

A) Larry's psychosocial profile
B) Larry's pathology
C) Larry's diagnosis
D) Larry's prognosis

Question 11

During more superstitious times,which of the following was thought to be the cause of abnormal behaviour?

A) a demonic possession
B) black bile
C) homosexuality
D) punishment of the illiterate

Question 12

In 14th- and 15th-century Europe,to what was inexplicable behaviour attributed?

A) evil
B) stupidity
C) humors
D) astrology

Question 13

Which of the following 18th century terms for psychiatric conditions is related to an explanation for mental illness?

A) lunatic
B) mental defective
C) maniac
D) idiot

Question 14

Louie was barking like a dog and walking on his hands and knees.A professional thought the cause of Louie's problem was an excess of a particular neurotransmitter,and prescribed a drug to treat him.What kind of professional was this most likely?

A) a clinical psychologist
B) a social worker
C) a psychiatric social worker
D) a psychiatrist

Question 15

Statistical data are relevant to researchers.For example,one major epidemiological study found that about 7.8 percent of people in North America have had a mood disorder at some point in their lives and 3.7 percent have experienced a mood disorder over the past year.What do the 7.8 percent and 3.7 percent statistics refer to,respectively?

A) incidence; prevalence
B) incidence; recurrence
C) proportion; prevalence
D) prevalence; incidence

Question 16

Why is a patient's age important information in the clinical description?

A) because young children do not experience true psychological disorders
B) because older adults are reluctant to report psychological symptoms
C) because children are not reliable sources of information about symptoms
D) because disorders occurring in childhood may be expressed differently at older ages

Question 17

In most Western societies,what happens when a person enters a trance state and believes he or she is possessed?

A) The person is believed to be suffering from a psychotic disorder.
B) The person is diagnosed with a dissociative disorder.
C) The person may be viewed as having a psychological disorder.
D) The person can be cured with antipsychotic medication.

Question 18

After graduation,two of your friends express an interest in psychology careers.Carl wants to work with relatively healthy individuals who are experiencing adjustment or vocational difficulties.Anna wishes to focus on the more severe psychological disorders and conduct research into their causes.Because you are studying abnormal psychology,they ask you for career advice.What do you tell them?

A) Carl should study psychology at the graduate level, and Anna should apply to medical school.
B) Carl should study clinical psychology at the graduate level, and Anna should study counselling psychology at the graduate level.
C) Both of them should apply to medical school.
D) Anna should study clinical psychology at the graduate level, and Carl should study counselling psychology at the graduate level.

Question 19

Which of the following is one of the three ways a psychotherapist can function as a scientist-practitioner?

A) writing textbooks
B) evaluating clinical practice
C) prescribing medications
D) teaching students

Question 20

Ron has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia and hospitalized.What would Thomas Szasz MOST likely argue?

A) Ron should not be hospitalized because doing so will only make his symptoms worse.
B) Ron's behaviour does not represent an illness like diabetes, and "schizophrenia" is merely a label applied on the basis of highly subjective judgments.
C) Ron's schizophrenia is a serious illness that is best treated with a combination of drugs and family therapy.
D) Ron should be assessed further because mistakes in diagnosis are made frequently.

Question 21

Alonso believes that Hedwig's behaviour disturbance is due to an excess of black bile.Whose ideas about psychiatry does Alonso's belief best align with?

A) Blueler
B) Aristotle
C) Newton
D) Hippocrates

Question 22

Who was the first theorist to argue that genetics were related to abnormal functioning?

A) Hippocrates
B) Galen
C) Freud
D) Grey

Question 23

You are a psychiatrist in the 1930s who has decided to begin treating your patients diagnosed with schizophrenia with a new treatment known as "electroconvulsive therapy" instead of the traditional "insulin shock therapy." What is the most likely reason for this decision?

A) You believe that insulin therapy is too expensive.
B) You believe that insulin therapy is too risky.
C) You believe that insulin therapy is not effective.
D) You believe that insulin therapy is unethical.

Question 24

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

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

Question 25

In the middle of the 20th century,which of the following were some of the first effective drugs for psychological disorders?

A) benzodiazepines to treat depression
B) bromides and opium for sedation
C) insulin and neuroleptics for sedation
D) neuroleptics for psychotic symptoms

Question 26

Bloodletting,often through the use of leeches,was a treatment devised centuries ago.What was this treatment used for?

A) to reduce excessive blood in the brain
B) to correct a chemical imbalance in the brain
C) to reduce the negative effects of stress
D) to restore the balance of humors

Question 27

According to Hippocrates' humoral theory,which of the following best characterizes the choleric personality?

A) hot tempered
B) kind
C) lacking affect
D) easygoing

Question 28

In ancient Greece,a woman suffering from hysteria might be told that her condition could be cured by which of the following?

A) induced seizures
B) bloodletting
C) marriage
D) rest and relaxation

Question 29

In the 14th and 15th centuries,in addition to attributing mental illness to the supernatural,some people suggested that mental illness was caused by what other factor?

A) an unhealthy lifestyle
B) head injuries
C) stress
D) genes

Question 30

You are listening to old musical tunes,including "Melancholy Baby." Your friends are impressed when you tell them that "melancholic," referring to a depressive personality,derives from the Greek term melancholer.What does this term mean?

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

Question 31

In the 14th century,what did the physician who first treated France's King Charles VI suggest as a cure?

A) reducing his responsibilities
B) bloodletting
C) exorcism
D) sexual abstinence

Question 32

Based on Hippocrates' humoral theory,what type of person does the term "sanguine" describe?

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

Question 33

According to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates,which of the following factors could negatively influence psychological functioning?

A) family stress
B) birth order
C) believing in astrology
D) supernatural forces

Question 34

The concept of hysteria traditionally meant physical symptoms for which no organic pathology could be found.Which of the following terms is now used to refer to this concept?

A) neurosis
B) anxiety disorders
C) delusions
D) somatic symptom disorders

Question 35

John Grey was an important figure in 19th-century psychiatry in the United States.What did he believe was always the cause of mental illness?

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

Question 36

Why was electroconvulsive therapy originally used as a therapy for schizophrenia?

A) because it was (mistakenly) observed that schizophrenia was rarely found in people with epilepsy
B) because it was (mistakenly) observed that it could reduce brain seizures, providing a cure
C) because it was (mistakenly) observed to induce convulsions and stimulated appetite in psychotic patients
D) because it was (mistakenly) observed to alleviate the depression that often accompanies schizophrenia

Question 37

William lived in the 19th century and had the cognitive disorder known as "general paresis." Based on this information,what other disease do you know William suffered from?

A) epilepsy
B) hysteria
C) malaria
D) syphilis

Question 38

Why are hysterical disorders no longer considered to be caused by a "wandering" uterus?

A) because men also suffer from hysterical disorders
B) because of greater knowledge of physiology
C) because the theory is considered insulting to women
D) because when the uterus is removed, symptoms tend to remain

Question 39

Suppose you know someone lived sometime between 1100 AD and 1900 AD but you don't know the exact years and you had to place a bet on which treatment for a psychological disorder they were most likely to have had.Which treatment would you bet on?

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

Question 40

In Medieval Europe,feelings of despair and lethargy were seen as a sin.What was this sin called?

A) gluttony
B) lust
C) sloth
D) greed

Question 41

What is the most notable contribution of Clarence Hinckes?

A) He argued that mental illness is treatable with a combination of drugs and individualized attention.
B) He argued that mental illness was incurable but more humane institutions were needed to care for the mentally ill.
C) He argued that mental illness was caused by brain pathology and, therefore, was incurable and that therapy should consist of learning to cope with symptoms.
D) He argued that mental illness was treatable, which was contrary to the prevailing view at the time.

Question 42

Whose work lead to a decline in moral therapy?

A) Grey
B) Dix
C) Hinckes
D) Freud

Question 43

What did Freud and Breuer discover about the process known as "catharsis"?

A) They discovered that it reduces psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions.
B) They discovered that it occurs beyond the conscious awareness of the patient.
C) They discovered that it leads to insight.
D) They discovered that the power of suggestion subconsciously changed behaviour.

Question 44

In many parts of the world during the 1970s,what would an individual suffering from an anxiety disorder most likely have been prescribed?

A) bromides
B) neuroleptics
C) benzodiazepines
D) electroconvulsive therapy

Question 45

The ego operates according to one principle,and the id operates according to another principle.What are they,respectively?

A) reality; pleasure
B) conscious; unconscious
C) pleasure; aggression
D) reality; aggression

Question 46

When did moral therapy work best?

A) when it was used with groups of patients, rather than through individual attention to patients
B) when the number of patients in an institution was 200 or fewer
C) when it was used in populations of immigrants and the poor
D) when it was supplemented by the use of restraint and seclusion

Question 47

What did Jean Charcot find when he used a variation of Mesmer's?

A) These methods were effective in treating a number of psychological disorders.
B) These methods were no more effective than previous methods he had used.
C) Patients were better able to understand the link between their emotional problems and their psychological disorder.
D) The symptoms of some patients actually worsened.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT included as part of Freud's structure of the mind?

A) psyche
B) superego
C) ego
D) id

Question 49

In 1895,how did neurologist Josef Breuer treat Anna O.'s hysterical symptoms?

A) using mesmerism
B) using hydrotherapy
C) using the placebo effect
D) using hypnosis

Question 50

Which of the following Greek philosophers suggested that maladaptive behaviour was rooted in social and cultural factors?

A) Galen
B) Hippocrates
C) Plato
D) Aristotle

Question 51

What movement did Dorothea Dix start?

A) the mental hygiene movement
B) the moral movement
C) the humane therapy movement
D) the deinstitutionalization movement

Question 52

Why was Emil Kraeplin's lasting contribution to modern psychiatry in the area of diagnosis and classification of psychological disorders,rather than that of treatment?

A) because of his discomfort with actually working with patients
B) because of his conviction that better diagnosis was necessary for more effective treatment
C) because of his belief that these disorders were due to brain pathology
D) because of his belief in the influence of the social environment in mental illness

Question 53

In the late 1800s,there was an emphasis on biological causes of mental disorders,which ironically reduced interest in treatments for mental patients.Why did this happen?

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

Question 54

In the psychosocial approach called "moral therapy," what does the term "moral" mean?

A) emotional
B) ethical
C) religious
D) story

Question 55

The discovery of certain tranquilizers made it possible to control psychotic symptoms,including hallucinations and delusions.What kind of drugs were these tranquilizers?

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

Question 56

Which of the following was common in asylums in the mid-18th century?

A) physical restraints and seclusion
B) individual attention from the hospital staff
C) lectures on interesting subjects for hospitalized patients
D) opportunities for normal social interaction

Question 57

You have just read a newspaper article about a savage rape and murder.You wonder how anyone could commit such a horrible crime.Then you recall from your study of Freudian theory that anyone could be a killer or rapist if certain impulses are not well controlled.Which of the following best describes these impulses?

A) intrapsychic forces
B) a libidinous desire
C) the drive of the id
D) primitive forces

Question 58

In Freudian theory,the terms "libido" and "thanatos" represent two basic but opposing drives.What are they?

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

Question 59

Anton Mesmer,an early 18th-century physician,purported to cure patients by unblocking the flow of a bodily fluid he called "animal magnetism." Benjamin Franklin's double-blind experiment indicated that any effectiveness of Mesmer's methods was actually due to which of the following?

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

Question 60

Realizing patients are 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.What was that concept?

A) psychosis
B) the unconscious mind
C) catharsis
D) repression

Question 61

The Electra complex is the psychosexual conflict that occurs at the phallic stage of development in girls.How is this complex characterized?

A) by latency lust
B) by feelings of anger and envy toward the mother
C) by castration anxiety
D) by a desire to replace the mother and possess the father

Question 62

In contrast to Freud,how did Jung and Adler view human nature?

A) They believed that cognitive and personality factors shape human potential.
B) They believed that humans are born with a strong drive toward self-actualization.
C) They believed that the ego is much stronger than Freud postulated.
D) They believed that humans are shaped through learning from their environment.

Question 63

A classmate in your psychology course is worried about the selfish and sometimes dangerous drives of the id.Which of the following should you say to your classmate to address this fear?

A) Because id impulses are usually part of conscious awareness, we can learn to control them.
B) Id fantasies never become part of conscious awareness, so we never act on them.
C) Each of us develops an ego to help us behave more realistically.
D) The selfish drives of the id are transformed to positive emotional expressions.

Question 64

According to psychoanalytic theory,what is the role of the ego?

A) to counteract the aggressive and sexual drives of the id
B) to maximize pleasure and reduce tension
C) to mediate conflict between the id and the superego
D) to increase self-esteem and a strong sense of identity

Question 65

A four-year-old girl sucks her thumb,a teenager binges on food,and an adult woman bites her fingernails.According to the Freudian theory of psychosexual development,what underlies all of these behaviours?

A) repression of aggressive impulses
B) a fixation at the oral stage of psychosexual development
C) a trauma during the toilet-training phase
D) denial of unacceptable feelings, thoughts, or wishes

Question 66

According to psychoanalytic theory,the id operates according to the pleasure principle.What does that mean?

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

Question 67

Which of the following is a characteristic of how defence mechanisms affect coping styles?

A) They are dependent upon the age of the person and how they are used.
B) They can be either adaptive or maladaptive.
C) They are self-defeating.
D) They are adaptive.

Question 68

According to Anna Freud's ego psychology,when does abnormal behaviour develop?

A) when the ego does not develop normally due to psychosexual conflicts at the oral stage of development
B) when the ego is deficient in regulating such functions as delaying and controlling impulses
C) when there are social and psychological barriers to achieving self-actualization
D) when introjected objects become an integrated part of the ego

Question 69

In Freud's iceberg analogy of the psyche,which two elements can operate within the conscious mind?

A) the ego and the id
B) the id and the preconscious
C) the preconscious and the superego
D) the superego and the ego

Question 70

Mrs.Babcock received a very poor rating from her supervisor,who had been constantly criticizing her in front of her co-workers.When she got home,her children ran up to greet her,all talking at once.She responded by yelling,"Leave me alone! Can't you see I'm tired?" According to psychoanalytic theory,which defence mechanism does this situation illustrate?

A) projection
B) displacement
C) repression
D) rationalization

Question 71

The Oedipus complex is the psychosexual conflict occurring during the phallic stage of development in boys.How is this complex characterized?

A) by love for the mother and feelings of anger and envy toward the father
B) by a repressed need for oral gratification
C) by a love for the father and feelings of repulsion toward the mother
D) by a repressed need for genital self-stimulation

Question 72

According to psychoanalytic theory,what process does a person develop early in life to ensure that they can adapt to the demands of the real world while still finding ways to meeting their basic needs?

A) her id
B) her conscience
C) her superego
D) her ego

Question 73

According to psychoanalytic theory,what do the conflicts between the id and the superego often lead to?

A) anxiety
B) anger
C) violent behaviour
D) depression

Question 74

As compared to her father,Sigmund Freud,Anna Freud (1895-1982)focused her work on the way our behaviour is influenced.Which of the following did she write?

A) Id and the Mechanisms of Defense
B) Our Neurosis and the Mechanisms of Defense
C) Our Self-actualization and the Mechanisms of Defense
D) Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense

Question 75

After receiving the results of four different sets of tests,Mary's doctor tells her that she has cancer.Mary states,"This can't be true; I'm going to get a second opinion." Which defence mechanism does this example illustrate?

A) displacement
B) denial
C) projection
D) repression

Question 76

In which defence mechanism does an individual substitute behaviour,thoughts,or feelings that are the direct opposite of unacceptable ones?

A) displacement
B) repression
C) rationalization
D) reaction formation

Question 77

Jack and Kelly have been dating for six months.Kelly is not interested in continuing their relationship.She calls Jack and informs him that although she cares about him,she must end their relationship.Jack laughs and says,"Funny joke." Kelly states,"This is not a joke; I am serious." Jack then says,"I'll pick you up in an hour for dinner." Which defence mechanism does this example illustrate?

A) displacement
B) projection
C) denial
D) repression

Question 78

Trent is in psychoanalysis and states to his therapist that he thinks that his wife is considering having an affair with her co-worker.Later on in the session,Trent admits that he is tempted to start an affair with his own co-worker.What defence mechanism was Trent displaying when he accused his wife of thinking about being unfaithful?

A) sublimation
B) projection
C) displacement
D) denial

Question 79

Which of the following is an example of a healthy defence mechanism?

A) sublimation
B) projection
C) denial
D) repression

Question 80

According to Freudian theory,anxiety is a signal for the ego to marshal its mechanisms of defence.This is a function of which of the following?

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