Deck 15: Abnormality, Therapy, and Social Issues

Question 1

Which of these is the predominant view of abnormal behavior in Western cultures today?

A) spiritual
B) sociological
C) biopsychosocial
D) medical

Answer 1

biopsychosocial

Question 2

The DSM-IV is a

A) drug.
B) test.
C) book.
D) society.

Answer 2

book.

Question 3

The idea that people often conform to the expectations of others, including the suggestions of therapists about whether or not they have a disorder, is thought to be an important factor in the diagnosis of which of the following disorders?

A) borderline personality disorder
B) dissociative identity disorder
C) bipolar disorder
D) schizophrenia

Answer 3

dissociative identity disorder

Question 4

How does dissociative identity disorder differ from the disorders running amok and brain fag?

A) Dissociative identity disorder is the only one of the above disorders that is found in females.
B) Dissociative identity disorder is the only one of the above disorders that is found in young people.
C) Dissociative identity disorder is more likely than the others to be found in the United States.
D) Dissociative identity disorder is more likely than the others to run in families.

Question 5

A man sometimes calls himself "Jack L." and behaves in a mature, responsible way. At other times he calls himself "Hyatt" and engages in highly impulsive behavior. He is apparently suffering from

A) schizophrenia.
B) dissociative identity disorder
C) bipolar disorder.
D) obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Question 6

Dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) was extremely rare before the 1950s, but by the 1990s, some therapists were reporting many cases of this disorder. What is the most likely reason for the increase in this disorder?

A) Some therapists began looking for this disorder and unintentionally created additional personalities through suggestive techniques.
B) The disorder is caused by environmental toxins that were heavily used during the 1970s and 1980s.
C) The disorder is caused by the Southeast Asian Flu, and there was a mild epidemic in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s.
D) A wide-spread genetic mutation seemed to occur in the 1960s, resulting in more people being born with the disorder.

Question 7

One important cultural influence on mental illness is that

A) people learn from their culture some of the possible ways of acting abnormal.
B) people in wealthy or technological cultures have fewer psychological problems than do people in less privileged cultures.
C) the breast-feeding and toilet-training practices of a society produce great influences on the types and frequencies of psychological disorders.
D) cultures that provide education to all children have low frequencies of psychological disorders.

Question 8

In the Sudan, when a woman yells at and insults her husband, and says all sorts of "crazy" things, the acceptable response for the husband is to

A) divorce her.
B) have her committed to a mental institution.
C) scold and punish her.
D) lavish her with gifts and pretty much give her whatever she wants.

Question 9

The woman described in the book and movie "The Three Faces of Eve" was suffering from which psychological disorder?

A) borderline personality disorder
B) dissociative identity disorder
C) bipolar disorder
D) schizophrenia

Question 10

In a biopsychosocial model, the psychological roots of abnormal behavior include

A) deficiencies in neurotransmitters.
B) genetic factors.
C) the social and cultural context in which a behavior occurs.
D) an individual's vulnerability to stress.

Question 11

In contemporary western culture, which of the following is NOT viewed as one of the predominant influences on abnormal behavior?

A) biological
B) sociological
C) spiritual
D) psychological

Question 12

Someone changes periodically from one identity to another, complete with different names, memories, and preferred activities. What condition does this person have?

A) dissociative identity disorder
B) schizophrenia
C) depression
D) obsessive-compulsive disorder

Question 13

Someone diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder

A) experiences sensory experiences without sensation.
B) is unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
C) alternates among several distinct personalities.
D) is unable to stop performing small, trivial behaviors.

Question 14

Which of the following is a disorder that is said to be common in China and is characterized by a fear that a man's penis will retract into his body?

A) amok
B) koro
C) karoshi
D) yit hei

Question 15

DSM-IV is a book that describes

A) ethical standards for psychological experiments.
B) the facilities and practices of the larger mental hospitals in the United States.
C) accepted labels and classifications of psychological disorders.
D) the drugs that are used in psychiatry and their side effects.

Question 16

Students learning about psychological disorders may get "medical students' disease" because

A) it is a highly contagious virus.
B) it is caused by too much studying, something that is common to both psychology and medical students.
C) normal behaviors and psychologically disordered behaviors are similar in many ways.
D) it is caused by eye strain.

Question 17

Someone who alternates among several distinct personalities, each having different abilities, different memories, and perhaps even different names, is suffering from

A) obsessive-compulsive disorder.
B) schizophrenia.
C) manic-depressive disorder.
D) dissociative identity disorder.

Question 18

"Medical students' disease" is

A) a viral disease frequently contracted by medical students who work extensively with cadavers.
B) a psychological disorder doctors at teaching hospitals get from the stress of working with too many first-year interns.
C) the false belief that you are a medical student.
D) the false belief that you have some dreaded condition that you have just learned about.

Question 19

While it is common for students of psychology to think they have a disease after reading about various psychological disorders, a diagnosis of a psychological disorder should be

A) made in every case of someone who has a problem.
B) reserved for people with problems that seriously interfere with their lives.
C) limited to people with a known biological abnormality.
D) given only to people who violate social norms.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT part of the American Psychiatric Association's definition of abnormal behavior?

A) behavior that leads to distress (including distress to others)
B) behavior that leads to disability (impaired functioning)
C) behavior that leads to discomfort (including the discomfort of others)
D) behavior that leads to an increased risk of death, pain, or loss of freedom

Question 21

DSM-IV classifies psychological disorders along five axes. Axis I lists:

A) medical disorders.
B) a person's level of stress during the previous year.
C) personality disorders.
D) clinical disorders.

Question 22

Physical disorders, such as diabetes, head trauma, or alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, represent which Axis in the DSM-IV?

A) Axis I
B) Axis II
C) Axis III
D) Axis IV

Question 23

Which of the following is an important difference between disorders on Axis I and Axis II?

A) Treatment is easier for Axis II disorders than Axis I disorders.
B) Axis I disorders tend to be lifelong, whereas Axis II disorders represent a deterioration of functioning.
C) Axis II disorders may be harder to diagnose than Axis I and aren't often the primary reason for a visit to a therapist.
D) Mental disorders that affect physical health are only listed on Axis II.

Question 24

DSM-IV classifies psychological disorders along __________ axes.

A) two
B) three
C) five
D) sixteen

Question 25

What is DSM-IV?

A) an abbreviation for "fourth dissociated state of mind"
B) an organization dedicated to better treatment of the mentally ill
C) a book about psychological disorders
D) one of the scales of the MMPI

Question 26

In the DSM-IV, the amount of stress a person has had to endure is listed under?

A) Axis I.
B) Axis II.
C) Axis III.
D) Axis IV.

Question 27

Steve has little affection for other people, a tendency to manipulate others without feeling guilty, a high probability of getting in trouble with the law, and difficulty keeping a job. However, he does not complain about having a psychological disorder and he does not seek help. A psychologist would be most likely to classify Steve as having a

A) mood disorder.
B) personality disorder.
C) dissociative disorder.
D) somatoform disorder.

Question 28

In the DSM-IV, an evaluation of the person's overall level of functioning is given on a scale from 1 to 100 under

A) Axis I.
B) Axis III.
C) Axis IV.
D) Axis V.

Question 29

Which of the following types of disorders is NOT included in Axis I of the DSM-IV?

A) substance-related disorders
B) anxiety disorders
C) personality disorders
D) eating disorders

Question 30

A personality disorder is a:

A) maladaptive, inflexible manner of behaving.
B) temporary change in a person's level of anxiety or depression.
C) condition that the person complains about even though other people regard it as normal.
D) physical symptom that has no apparent medical cause.

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of a psychological disorder that is classified in Axis II of DSM-IV?

A) anorexia nervosa
B) depression
C) schizophrenia
D) mental retardation

Question 32

DSM-IV classifies psychological disorders along five axes. Which of the following is NOT one of the five axes?

A) general medical conditions
B) psychosocial and environmental problems
C) Rorschach response pattern
D) global assessment of functioning

Question 33

In the DSM-IV, physical disorders such as diabetes or cirrhosis of the liver are listed under

A) Axis I.
B) Axis IV.
C) Axis III.
D) Axis V.

Question 34

DSM-IV classifies psychological disorders along five axes. Axis II lists

A) disorders that last throughout life, such as mental retardation.
B) physical ailments that can affect behavior, such as cirrhosis of the liver.
C) disorders with a particular time of onset, such as phobia.
D) the level of stress the person has had to cope with.

Question 35

The current edition of the book that lists approved diagnoses of psychological disorders is abbreviated

A) PDR XXIX.
B) APA II.
C) DSM-IV.
D) BLT VIII.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of the kind of condition that is classified under Axis I of DSM-IV?

A) personality disorder
B) mental retardation
C) depression
D) diabetes

Question 37

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is classified by DSM-IV

A) on Axis I.
B) on Axis II.
C) as a "treat with drugs only" type of disorder.
D) as a personality disorder if it begins before age five.

Question 38

A personality disorder, such as antisocial personality, tends to have what time course?

A) It develops suddenly at some point in adult life and goes away gradually.
B) It has a sudden onset and an equally sudden offset.
C) It generally lasts a lifetime.
D) It develops in early childhood but it ends abruptly during adolescence.

Question 39

DSM-IV classifies psychological disorders along five axes. Axis I lists

A) disorders that persist throughout life, such as mental retardation.
B) a person's level of stress during the previous year.
C) disorders with a particular time of onset, such as depression.
D) physical disorders, such as diabetes, that can affect behavior.

Question 40

The current manual for diagnosing mental illness is abbreviated:

A) WAIS-III.
B) DSM-IV.
C) WCST.
D) fMRI.

Question 41

One reason why psychiatrists today tend to diagnose more problems as "disorders" than they did in the past is that today

A) HMOs pay for more treatment if the person has a diagnosis.
B) the stigma of mental illness is much weaker than in the past.
C) therapists are in close agreement on how to treat various disorders.
D) research has documented detailed similarities between abnormal behaviors and medical illnesses.

Question 42

One criticism of DSM-IV is that it incorrectly

A) implies that only extreme disorders qualify for psychological help.
B) recommends the same kind of treatment for all disorders.
C) overstates the genetic basis of almost all disorders.
D) treats certain normal reactions as if they were disorders.

Question 43

Freud's methods of psychotherapy, which look for underlying sexual motives, and Adler's method, which looks for underlying power and superiority motives, are both examples of which type of psychotherapy?

A) psychodynamic therapy
B) rational-emotive therapy
C) humanistic therapy
D) behavior therapy

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a true statement regarding psychotherapy in the years following WWII (1940s and 1950s)?

A) People who wanted therapy paid for it themselves (there was almost no insurance for mental health visits).
B) Most psychotherapists were psychiatrists practicing Freudian methods.
C) At this time in history, the scientific evidence most strongly supported the Freudian approach.
D) Patients typically received either no diagnosis or a diagnosis that was very vague.

Question 45

__________ therapies are methods of psychotherapy that attempt to unravel people's underlying drives and motives.

A) Rational-emotive
B) Psychodynamic
C) Behavior
D) Person-centered

Question 46

Compared to the years following WWII, which of the following represents a change in psychotherapy because of changes in health insurance (such as the development of HMOs)?

A) More people have insurance, so therapies tend to last much longer than in the past.
B) Therapy tends to take longer now because there are so many more diagnoses listed in DSM-IV.
C) The Freudian approach to psychotherapy has become increasingly popular since HMOs officially recognized the benefit of dream analysis.
D) There is now extensive research on the effectiveness of the different types of psychotherapy.

Question 47

One criticism of DSM-IV is that it incorrectly implies that

A) any unusual behavior necessarily indicates a psychological abnormality and therefore requires treatment.
B) all psychological disorders are equally likely to respond well to the same methods of treatment.
C) all psychological disorders have a genetic basis.
D) some normal worries are psychiatric conditions.

Question 48

Multiple surveys have found that about __________ of all adults in the United States qualify for a psychiatric diagnosis in any given year, and that almost __________ qualify at some time in life.

A) 1%...5%
B) one-sixth...one-third
C) 3%...8%
D) 25%...50%

Question 49

The most common disorders are:

A) dissociative disorders, mania, and autism.
B) dissociative identity disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and somatization disorders.
C) anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders and mood disorders.
D) anxiety disorders, mood disorders, impulse control problems, and substance abuse.

Question 50

The psychological disorders that are diagnosed most frequently in the United States are

A) substance abuse, mood disorders, impulse control problems and anxiety disorders.
B) depression, schizophrenia, and dissociative identity.
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance abuse, and schizophrenia.
D) anxiety disorders, sexual disorders, and eating disorders.

Question 51

Which of the following is true of most people with a personality disorder?

A) The intensity of the disorder increases or decreases sharply from one time to another.
B) They typically do not seek treatment for their condition.
C) They can identify a particular time when the disorder began.
D) They suffer a combination of both anxiety and depression.

Question 52

One reason why psychologist and psychiatrists have started labeling more and more behavior problems as "mental illnesses" is that

A) Freudian theory has become more and more dominant.
B) even mild behavior problems are associated with serious brain abnormalities.
C) unless treated quickly, mild disorders develop into more serious ones.
D) insurance companies will pay more if a person has a mental illness.

Question 53

One criticism of DSM-IV is that it:

A) implies that only extreme disorders qualify for psychological help.
B) puts disorders in completely separate categories.
C) overstates the genetic basis of almost all disorders.
D) recommends the same kind of treatment for all disorders.

Question 54

One result of economic trends in psychiatry and clinical psychology has been:

A) more prolonged treatment.
B) a shift toward treatment only by experienced therapists with a PhD or MD.
C) an increase in the number of psychiatric diagnoses.
D) an increase in the use of untested, unresearched drugs.

Question 55

What is the main reason why it is so difficult to get an accurate estimate of what percentage of people have psychological disorders?

A) Psychological disorders come in various degrees and the borderline between normal and disordered is arbitrary.
B) All information about psychological disorders is strictly confidential.
C) Psychologists and psychiatrists have not yet agreed on what constitutes a psychological disorder or on the criteria for identifying such disorders.
D) The prevalence of disorders varies so greatly from one place to another and from one year to another that it is impossible to get an adequate representative sample.

Question 56

One major criticism of current methods of diagnosing psychiatric disorders is that psychologists and psychiatrists

A) fail to draw distinctions among different types of disorders.
B) pay attention to only the most severe types of disorders.
C) continue to rely on the same diagnoses and descriptions popular in Freud's time.
D) label many understandable reactions to unpleasant situations as if they were mental illnesses.

Question 57

Psychologists generally assert that about 50% of all people will eventually experience at least one psychological disorder. A major problem with that assertion, or with any other percentage, is that

A) psychologists in different parts of the U.S. have different rules for diagnosing psychological disorders.
B) results of random-sampling studies have been vastly different from those of representative-sampling studies.
C) classification of marginal cases depends upon the strictness of the criteria.
D) certain disorders such as bipolar disorder are very serious, even though they are not common.

Question 58

Psychodynamic therapies are best described as therapies that

A) attempt to achieve clear, well-defined behavioral goals through learning.
B) use a combination of methods and approaches.
C) seek to improve people's psychological well-being by changing their cognitions.
D) attempt to unravel people's underlying drives and motivations.

Question 59

Psychotherapy has changed since the 1950s in many ways, including clearer diagnoses, more research on effectiveness, and briefer treatments. One of the main reasons for these changes has been pressures applied by:

A) health insurance companies.
B) Alcoholics Anonymous and similar self-help groups.
C) organizations of former mental patients.
D) the American Psychological Association.

Question 60

One trend in psychiatry over the years, as seen in the development of DSM-IV, has been to

A) collapse all psychiatric diagnoses into just a few major categories, instead of drawing distinctions among different types of disorders.
B) give a psychiatric diagnosis to more and more clients, including some who have only minor and understandable difficulties.
C) treat more and more people with psychoanalysis and fewer people with drugs or other medical interventions.
D) keep people in large mental hospitals for longer and longer periods of time.

Question 61

In free association a psychoanalyst would give a client each of the instructions below except

A) "Start by thinking about a particular problem."
B) "Report everything that comes into your mind, including visual images."
C) "Do not censor anything that might be embarrassing."
D) "Try to express your thoughts in complete sentences."

Question 62

Which of the following types of psychotherapy tries to change the client from the inside out, paying more attention to thoughts, emotions, and childhood experiences than to current behavior?

A) aversion therapy
B) systematic desensitization
C) behavior therapy
D) psychoanalysis

Question 63

Which type of psychotherapist is most likely to start by setting clear, well-defined goals, such as getting a client to stop smoking?

A) psychoanalyst
B) person-centered therapist
C) behavior therapist
D) rational-emotive therapist

Question 64

Some patients in psychotherapy treat the therapist as a father or as some other important figure in their life. This process is called

A) catharsis.
B) free association.
C) resistance.
D) transference.

Question 65

What did Freud mean by the term "transference"?

A) shifting energies among the id, ego, and superego
B) attributing your own unpleasant characteristics to someone else
C) advancing from one stage of sexual development to another
D) treating a therapist the way you feel toward your parents

Question 66

Which kind of psychotherapist would be most likely to try to bring unconscious thoughts to consciousness?

A) behavior therapist
B) cognitive therapist
C) person-centered therapist
D) psychoanalyst

Question 67

For what purpose does a psychoanalyst ask a client to engage in free association?

A) to gain access to the client's unconscious mind
B) to improve the client's ability to socialize with other people
C) to set specific goals and provide reinforcements for achieving them
D) to increase a client's commitment to overcoming a problem

Question 68

Which method of psychotherapy relies on free association and analysis of transference reactions?

A) behavior modification
B) psychoanalysis
C) Gestalt therapy
D) person-centered therapy

Question 69

The emotional attachment that a patient develops toward his or her therapist is known as

A) transference.
B) resistance.
C) hysteria.
D) symptom substitution.

Question 70

One distinctive feature of behavior therapy that sets it apart from psychoanalysis and nondirective (humanistic) therapy is that behavior therapists

A) emphasize the importance of unconscious thoughts.
B) expect therapy to continue indefinitely, sometimes even for a lifetime.
C) set definite goals for their clients.
D) rely mostly on tranquilizers and other drugs.

Question 71

Behavior therapy begins with

A) desensitization.
B) specific goals.
C) unconditional positive regard.
D) free association.

Question 72

The main goal of psychoanalysis is to

A) establish realistic goals and expectations.
B) change behavior.
C) bring unconscious thoughts into consciousness.
D) enable the client to make personal decisions and promote self-acceptance.

Question 73

A therapist asks you to free associate and he then interprets your remarks for you. The therapist is probably using which therapy?

A) humanistic
B) person-centered
C) psychoanalysis
D) nondirective

Question 74

Freud's method of psychotherapy is called

A) rational-emotive therapy.
B) eclectic therapy.
C) cognitive therapy.
D) psychoanalysis.

Question 75

How does behavior therapy differ from other forms of psychotherapy?

A) It is concerned primarily with helping people to achieve self-understanding and to live a fuller, richer life.
B) It is content to change the problem behaviors even without understanding their underlying causes and origin.
C) It can be conducted by someone with no special training in psychology.
D) It is used only with children, not with adults.

Question 76

In Freud's theory, transference refers to transferring one's

A) repressions from one motive to another.
B) motives into the unconscious.
C) libido from one part of the body to another.
D) love or hate of parents onto the therapist.

Question 77

The main goal of psychoanalysis is to

A) change the behavior of people who do not really want to change.
B) make well-defined changes in behavior through positive reinforcement.
C) bring unconscious thoughts to consciousness.
D) increase unconditional positive regard.

Question 78

When a psychoanalyst asks someone to free associate, what should the person do?

A) Talk freely to a group of strangers.
B) Sit quietly and let the mind go blank.
C) Try to remember everything that has happened that day.
D) Say everything that comes to mind.

Question 79

Which form of therapy was the original form of "talk" therapy?

A) cognitive therapy
B) behavior therapy
C) psychoanalysis
D) person-centered therapy

Question 80

In psychoanalysis, free association is

A) one of the customs of encounter groups.
B) an attempt to gain access to the unconscious.
C) a standardized personality test.
D) just a fancy name for "you talk, I listen."