Deck 17: Adjustment Disorders and Life-Cycle Transitions

Question 1

According to Erik Erikson, why do teens need to experiment with different roles?

A) to avoid moratorium
B) to find a unique niche in society
C) to ease their separation from their parents
D) to distract parents from their own conflicts

Answer 1

to find a unique niche in society

Question 2

According to Erik Erikson, the healthy resolution of the last stage of psychosocial development involves

A) a coherent sense of identity.
B) balance between closeness and independence.
C) career achievements and a sense of direction.
D) acceptance of one's own life cycle.

Answer 2

acceptance of one's own life cycle.

Question 3

According to Erik Erikson, when does the struggle of generativity versus stagnation occur?

A) adolescence
B) young adulthood
C) middle age
D) old age

Answer 3

middle age

Question 4

Chuck M (case described in the text) illustrates the common theme that Erik Erikson suggested for life-cycle transitions.

A) growth
B) conflict
C) adjustment
D) None of the above were suggested by Erikson.

Question 5

What struggle did Erik Erikson view as the primary life task of adolescence?

A) integrity versus despair
B) identity versus role confusion
C) generativity versus stagnation
D) intimacy versus self-absorption

Question 6

Which of the following is characteristic of life-cycle transitions?

A) They involve very little conflict.
B) Few adults ever experience them.
C) They have all the hallmarks of mental disorders.
D) They are struggles in the process of moving from one stage into a new one.

Question 7

Your professor is telling the class that people need to develop social clocks. Thinking this is an odd phrase, you look it up in your textbook and discover that it refers to

A) how people keep track of their social appointments.
B) the idea that time is a social phenomenon.
C) how people evaluate whether they are on time for age-related goals.
D) the influence that others have on peoples' ability to achieve their goals in a timely manner.

Question 8

What do adjustment disorders, acute stress disorders, and posttraumatic disorder share in common?

A) All are Axis II diagnoses.
B) Stress is an etiological factor.
C) The symptoms are similar to depression.
D) Symptoms do not exist for more than six months.

Question 9

Erik Erikson's major contribution to a model of psychosocial development

A) was to introduce the concept of childhood sexuality.
B) was to extend the field of developmental psychology to younger ages, below 1 year.
C) was to extend the field of developmental psychology into adulthood.
D) Erikson accomplished all of the above.

Question 10

Donna has experienced what her therapist calls clinically significant symptoms of stress. However, they are not severe enough to warrant classification as one of the mental disorders associated with traumatic stressors. In order for her insurance carrier to pay for her therapy, the therapist must provide a diagnosis. What diagnosis will the therapist report?

A) adjustment disorder
B) acute stress disorder
C) life-cycle transition
D) posttraumatic stress disorder

Question 11

Adult development is characterized by

A) little change or growth.
B) a sequence of time‑limited stages.
C) coping with fairly predictable challenges.
D) a series of qualitatively different stages.

Question 12

According to Erikson's view of adult development, despair comes from

A) superego guilt.
B) a sense of failure.
C) the impossible desire to change the past.
D) biological depression.

Question 13

How are life-cycle transitions handled in the DSM-IV-TR?

A) listed as causes of depression
B) listed under relationship problems
C) listed as a category of mental disorders
D) listed as other conditions that may be a focus of attention

Question 14

Which of the following characterizes Erik Erikson's conceptualization of human development?

A) Role confusion and identity are resolved by age 5.
B) Each stage involves a crisis of the healthy personality.
C) Psychosocial development is finished by young adulthood.
D) Healthy people experience little conflict during adult development.

Question 15

You need to look up the DSM-IV-TR definition for "partner relational problem." Where should you look?

A) adjustment disorders
B) other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention
C) stress disorders
D) relational and other interpersonal disorders

Question 16

According to Erik Erikson, the resolution of the identity crisis typically occurs in what developmental stage?

A) childhood
B) adolescence
C) middle age
D) old age

Question 17

In order to meet the DSM-IV-TR definition of an adjustment disorder an individual's experience must meet two conditions: symptoms in response to stress and

A) symptoms not severe enough to be labeled a mental disorder.
B) symptoms severe enough to be labeled a mental disorder.
C) the presence of depression.
D) There is only the one criteria listed in the question.

Question 18

According to Daniel Levinson's social model of adult development, the "midlife crisis" involves

A) becoming less driven and more compassionate.
B) conflict between generativity and stagnation.
C) conflict between intimacy and self-absorption.
D) moving away from family and assuming an adult role.

Question 19

How would Erik Erikson describe the period of moratorium?

A) intimacy with a sexual partner
B) hard work and financial independence
C) uncertainty and experimentation with different roles
D) balance between independence and closeness with parents

Question 20

Erik Erikson viewed the primary life task of young adulthood to be a struggle between

A) integrity and despair.
B) role confusion and identity.
C) generativity and stagnation.
D) intimacy and self-absorption.

Question 21

Researchers used beepers to signal adolescents and adults at various times to assess their emotional states. Compared to adults, they found that young people between the ages of 13 and 18 tend to experience

A) more stable moods than adults.
B) more intense moods than adults.
C) less intense moods than adults.
D) similar emotional experiences to adults.

Question 22

In 2008 approximately what percentage of black males and females were neither in school nor employed?

A) 5.
B) 10.
C) 20.
D) 30.

Question 23

At age 10, Joseph decided to become a priest. By age 20 he had never considered any other options or questioned his earlier decision. What term is used to by some psychologists to describe this style of coping with identity conflict?

A) identity diffusion
B) identity moratorium
C) identity achievement
D) identity foreclosure

Question 24

According to ego psychologist Karen Horney, why do adolescents experience conflict with their parents?

A) They are in a developmental stage of despair.
B) They have not yet achieved a stable identity.
C) They are insecurely attached to their parents.
D) They experience competing needs with respect to their parents.

Question 25

You are a family therapist in a first interview with a couple. You note a style of communication that has been seen in couples who are basically unhappily married. This indicator is

A) their expression of anger to each other.
B) their tendency to blame their conflict on each other's personality.
C) their tendency to blame their conflict on circumstances.
D) All of the above are mentioned in the textbook as warning signs.

Question 26

Psychologists are not so much interested in the content of family struggles as the process. They have focused their attention on what types of struggles?

A) dominance and subservience
B) intergenerational and cross-generational
C) financial and relational
D) power and intimacy

Question 27

Rebecca is a college graduate who has made decisions about her long-term goals. What does research tell us about where she may be in terms of Erikson's view of development?

A) Rebecca probably is an identity achiever and she has increased confidence in social interactions.
B) Rebecca is in a stage of identity moratorium and will probably remain there until she finds a job.
C) Rebecca has probably reached a level of identity characterized by a high degree of generativity.
D) Like most college students, Rebecca has delayed the establishment of an identity and it shows in her impulsive behavior.

Question 28

Marital conflict and distress tend to be associated with an increased risk for the development of which disorder among women?

A) depression
B) bipolar
C) dissociative fugue
D) generalized anxiety

Question 29

What treatment approach do many clinicians suggest for those experiencing distress associated with transitions to adult life?

A) psychoanalytic
B) behavioral
C) supportive and nondirective
D) challenging and confrontational

Question 30

In the 1960s, many college students were considered to have an identity status called alienated identity achievement. How could we describe these individuals?

A) They did not assume an adult role.
B) They experienced identity diffusion.
C) They remained in a period of moratorium.
D) They had an adult identity that conflicted with society's values.

Question 31

Family transitions are major changes in family life and family relationships that typically involve

A) coping with some type of mental disorder.
B) the addition or loss of members of a family household.
C) a need to change the communication patterns within the family.
D) major changes in the personality structure of members of the family.

Question 32

How does DSM-IV-TR address the problem of "identity disorder"?

A) It is listed under adjustment disorders.
B) It was replaced with the term dissociative identity disorder.
C) It was listed in an earlier edition but is no longer listed as a disorder.
D) It is listed as a disorder usually first diagnosed in adolescence.

Question 33

Social scientists often conceptualize family change in terms of the developmental course of family relationships that they label

A) family stages.
B) family life cycle.
C) psychosexual stages.
D) None of the above are correct.

Question 34

What question seems to summarize the conflict of adolescence as viewed by Erik Erikson?

A) "Who am I?"
B) "Is life worth living?"
C) "Is there meaning to life?"
D) "How much money can I accumulate?"

Question 35

A psychologist is trying to understand the level of cooperation and conflict evident in the social exchanges of a family. This psychologist is focusing on

A) reciprocity.
B) boundaries.
C) roles.
D) rules.

Question 36

What is one of the criticisms of Erik Erikson's views on adult psychosocial development?

A) ignores old age
B) ignores intrapsychic processes
C) ignores the importance of relationships for women's identity
D) focuses on conflicts rather than pleasant aspects of growth

Question 37

As a couples therapist, when you start working with a family that is experiencing a lot of conflict you are on the look out for a commonly observed pattern of

A) social isolation.
B) demand and withdrawal.
C) familial withdrawal.
D) All of the above are noted in the textbook.

Question 38

While surfing the net you come across the term "forgotten half," which you found leads to a Web site. What population might this Web site attract?

A) the elderly who live alone
B) women who do not work outside of the home
C) adolescents and young adults who do not go to college
D) young people who are in the bottom half of their classes in term of achievement

Question 39

What does the textbook suggests about the relationship between the age of children in a family and family conflict?

A) There is no significant relationship between children's ages and marital satisfaction.
B) Marital satisfaction increases with the birth of children and falls when those children leave home.
C) Marital satisfaction declines with the birth of children and rises when those children leave home.
D) None of the above are accurate.

Question 40

How would we describe a teen with identity diffusion?

A) in the middle of an identity crisis
B) not actively seeking new adult roles
C) actively searching for new adult roles
D) never questioned his childhood identity

Question 41

Behavior geneticists study the concordance rates of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins to estimate the environmental and genetic influences on behavior. Which of the following provides evidence for an environmental impact on behavior?

A) MZ concordance rates less than 100 percent
B) DZ concordance rates less than 100 percent
C) MZ concordance rates greater than DZ concordance rates
D) DZ concordance rates greater than MZ concordance rates

Question 42

Which of the following describes the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral couple therapy that addresses communication styles and problem solving?

A) very little relapse
B) less effective than individual therapy
C) leads to significant improvements
D) very significant short and long term improvement

Question 43

What is one reason that the higher concordance rates for divorce among monozygotic (MZ) compared to dizygotic (DZ) twins do not necessarily demonstrate genetic contributions?

A) MZ and DZ twins may not share the same trait-relevant environment.
B) Both MZ and DZ twins may be subject to social influence.
C) There may be a higher divorce rate among parents of MZ twins.
D) There may be a higher divorce rate among parents of DZ twins.

Question 44

What is one of the limitations in the use of a heritability ratio?

A) It cannot be generalized to the whole population.
B) It reflects only theoretically diverse environments.
C) Its calculation ignores environmental variance in a sample.
D) It can only be used to describe biological characteristics.

Question 45

The textbook reports that in 2007 approximately what percentage of births in the United States were to unmarried women?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 40 percent
D) 60 percent

Question 46

The Premarital Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) involves couples meeting in small groups to discuss marital relations and to learn communication skills. What has research revealed concerning the effectiveness of this program?

A) Couples that go through this program report higher marital satisfaction than control couples.
B) Couples that go through this program report less marital satisfaction than controls three years later.
C) Couples that go through this program report more satisfaction, but also more conflict than controls.
D) Despite the best of intentions of its developers, the program has little effect on marital satisfaction.

Question 47

Typically, a marital therapist's work involves helping spouses to

A) identify and voice disagreements.
B) save their marriage and avoid divorce.
C) address one partner's problem behavior.
D) avoid disagreements and focus on the positive.

Question 48

What is the focus of cognitive behavioral marital therapy?

A) changing one partner's psychopathology
B) improving the couple's communication and problem solving
C) talking about the marriage in individual therapy
D) changing how parents act toward their troubled child

Question 49

Frank and Consuela are happily married, while Tyrone and Amanda are unhappily married. Both couples have been having some disputes lately. Frank and Consuela are likely to blame their disputes on ________, while Tyrone and Amanda blame their disputes on ________.

A) the other's personality; temporary circumstances
B) temporary circumstances; the other's personality
C) their children; their finances
D) their finances; their children

Question 50

Compared to more traditional unions, what has research shown concerning marriages in which both spouses are androgynous?

A) The marriage is happier and less distressed.
B) There are virtually no differences in stress or communications.
C) The marriage is less happy and more distressed.
D) There is less stress initially but the level of stress rises dramatically.

Question 51

Why have divorce rates declined since the early 1980s?

A) The average age of the population is getting older.
B) There have been increases in nonmarital childbearing and cohabitation.
C) State governments have mandated pre-marital programs to help reduce the divorce rates.
D) More ministers are refusing to perform marriages for couples that have not known each other for a significant amount of time, and governments have raised the age at which someone can get married.

Question 52

Researchers responsible for the study of the genetic factors on divorce have been invited to share their research at a conference that you are attending. As you listen to their studies it is very important to remember that

A) most studies in this area are experiments that tell you very little about correlation.
B) most studies in this field are biases by conflict of interest.
C) correlational studies are the best source of information about what causes what.
D) correlational studies do not give you information about what causes what.

Question 53

McGue and Lykken found that for divorce the concordance rates were

A) higher for DZ twins than MZ twins.
B) higher for MZ twins than for DZ twins.
C) very similar for DZ and MZ twins.
D) impossible to calculate with any accuracy for twins.

Question 54

Theorists who have proposed that the classification of troubled relationships should replace the diagnosis of individuals base this proposal on their belief that

A) diagnosing individuals stigmatizes them.
B) relationships can be classified more reliably than individuals.
C) troubled relationships last longer and thus can be more easily classified.
D) psychological problems reside in the individual's relationships.

Question 55

John Gottman, a researcher on marital interaction, has described one pattern of problematic communication called stonewalling. How would he describe this pattern?

A) One spouse is consistently isolated and withdrawn.
B) One spouse is consistently insulting to the other spouse.
C) One spouse attacks the other's personality rather than actions.
D) One spouse denies responsibility for marital difficulties.

Question 56

Which of the following is an example of how environments are partially heritable?

A) a child is raised in her parents' home
B) a shy person chooses to work in a library
C) communities are segregated by socioeconomic status
D) one's genetic background is related to one's cultural background

Question 57

Which of the following is an example of a scapegoating pattern of family relationships?

A) One family member is blamed for all the family problems.
B) One family member bullies another family member out of jealousy.
C) One family member complains of problems that are denied by other family members.
D) One family member takes on all the responsibility for solving the family's problems.

Question 58

Which process is thought to mediate genetic influences on divorce?

A) Twins rarely divorce.
B) Divorced couples produce fewer offspring.
C) Genes influence personality traits associated with divorce.
D) Unmarried couples reproduce at lower rates than married couples.

Question 59

Based on observations of marital interactions, John Gottman classified four problematic communication styles. How would he describe the problem labeled as contempt?

A) A spouse shows disinterest in the marriage.
B) A spouse is consistently isolated and withdrawn.
C) A spouse hurls angry insults at the other spouse.
D) A spouse denies responsibility for the marital problem.

Question 60

The textbook reports an estimate that out of a sample of 100 marriages occurring today, how many would be expected to end in divorce?

A) 20
B) 40
C) 60
D) 80

Question 61

What has research discovered concerning the personality among elderly people?

A) They tend to be less inwardly focused.
B) They are more irritable and complaining.
C) They are greatly affected by depression and anxiety.
D) They are similar to the personality shown in middle age.

Question 62

Which of the following is most accurate as to the rate of affective disorders in younger vs. older Americans?

A) Affective disorders are more common in older adults.
B) Affective disorders are more common in younger adults.
C) Younger adults and older adults experience affective disorders at about the same rate.
D) The rates are about the same for two age groups except for older males who have a very high rate of affective disorders.

Question 63

The rates for completed suicide among the elderly

A) are the lowest of any age group.
B) are the highest of any age group.
C) are low overall but very high for rational suicide.
D) are high but have been steadily declining for years.

Question 64

You are a psychologist assigned to assess older individuals in a community centre. Given the research you will be looking for predictors of psychological well-being such as

A) signs of Erikson's concept of integrity.
B) positive relationships.
C) comfort with living alone.
D) None of the above are supported by research.

Question 65

How are estrogen levels during menopause related to depression?

A) The depression reduces the estrogen levels.
B) Decreased estrogen begins a long chain of biological changes that lead to depression.
C) Lower levels of estrogen lead to the symptoms of depression.
D) Estrogen levels and depression are not related.

Question 66

What element is important in both the Bowlby and Kubler-Ross models of bereavement?

A) anger
B) bargaining
C) moratorium
D) identity crisis

Question 67

After reviewing the literature on the model of bereavement proposed by Kubler-Ross, what would researchers conclude about the validity of the model?

A) There are actually more stages than proposed by Kubler-Ross.
B) Many people do not go through the stages in the sequence proposed and some show no signs of any of the stages.
C) Men, but not women, seem to proceed through the stages in different orders and at different speeds.
D) The bargaining stage does not occur very often because most people realize the futility of such a response.

Question 68

Your friend has been having some psychological problems, and he tells you that he and his wife are seeing a couples therapist. You are surprised that he is receiving couples therapy, since he is the one with problems. When you ask your psychology professor about this, she explains that

A) there must have been some mistake.
B) successful couples therapy can remove the cause of an individual spouse's problem.
C) your friend was probably resistant to individual therapy and couples therapy is less threatening.
D) your friend's problems must actually be marital problems, not individual problems.

Question 69

What conclusion was drawn by the authors about the case of Mrs. J, who had great difficulty accepting her loss? He husband had died in a nursing home that Mrs. J. believed to be inadequate. She was referred because of her anger over this and her inability to stop thinking about it.

A) Hers was an example of pathological depression.
B) Her reaction was seen as normal grieving.
C) She was diagnosed as clinically grieving.
D) She was an example of grief compounded by OCD.

Question 70

What is bereavement?

A) a form of clinical depression
B) a period of adjustment to old age
C) a specific form of grief about death
D) a process of coping with any separation or loss

Question 71

The textbook suggests that if you had a patient who just lost a loved one you would be most concerned about an adverse reaction if

A) they lost a parent.
B) they lost their spouse.
C) they lost a child.
D) The book suggests that all three would tend to generate the same type of emotional reaction.

Question 72

Pallagio's husband died at age 70. For the next year, she finds herself thinking about him constantly. Every night she talks out loud to his photo. How would a clinical psychologist describe these behaviors?

A) a normal part of grieving
B) a sign of delusional thinking
C) a sign of abnormal obsessions
D) evidence of an abnormal lack of anger

Question 73

Which of the following individuals is most likely to suffer from osteoporosis?

A) Jill, who is 24 years old
B) Jack, who is 56 years old
C) Betty, who is 71 years old
D) Diane, who is 18 years old

Question 74

Which is one of the reasons that older people have fewer friendships?

A) They become more irritable and demanding.
B) They have lost most of the people they once cared about.
C) They become more selective in their companions.
D) They spend more time with their family.

Question 75

The cessation of menstruation is called

A) menarche.
B) menopause.
C) moratorium.
D) maturation.

Question 76

Hormone (estrogen) replacement therapy during menopause is effective for reducing

A) depression.
B) infertility.
C) cancer risk.
D) physical symptoms.

Question 77

An epidemiologist has received a grant to survey the elderly population to determine the prevalence of mental disorders. Based on existing research, which disorder would you predict has the highest prevalence among the elderly?

A) anxiety
B) depression
C) schizophrenia
D) cognitive disorder

Question 78

A specific form of grieving in response to the death of a loved one is known as

A) grieving.
B) loss.
C) bereavement.
D) reactive depression.

Question 79

The multidisciplinary study of aging is known as

A) ageism.
B) gerontology.
C) moratorium studies.
D) life-cycle studies.

Question 80

Ageism refers to

A) changes as one grows older.
B) prejudice against the elderly.
C) the study of aging and the elderly.
D) the incorporation of age norms in research.