Deck 13: Personality, Mental Health, and Psychopathology

Question 1

Which person would be the most likely to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder?

A) Angela, who has a negative and unstable image of herself, unstable social relationships, and intense emotional feelings often in the form of rage or anger
B) Beatrice, who lies frequently and always has to be the centre of attention
C) Chris, who is intensely suspicious of others, and has very few friends
D) Don, who is extremely vain, lacks empathy for others, and comes across to others as shallow

Answer 1

Angela, who has a negative and unstable image of herself, unstable social relationships, and intense emotional feelings often in the form of rage or anger

Question 2

What role(s) is personality thought to have in psychopathology?

A) Personality may be a vulnerability factor for the development of psychopathology.
B) Personality factors may explain some of the heterogeneity among people who share the same diagnosis but display somewhat different symptoms.
C) Personality plays a role in the persistence of psychopathology.
D) All of the above

Answer 2

All of the above

Question 3

A problem with using distress as one of the criterion for defining abnormal behaviour is that:

A) many people with distressing but common symptoms such as anxiety may be classified as having a disorder.
B) many people with personality disorders experience little distress but cause significant discomfort to others.
C) very few people with major mental disorders such as schizophrenia experience personal distress.
D) psychologists cannot measure distress.

Answer 3

psychologists cannot measure distress.

Question 4

Relative to other mental disorders, personality disorders:

A) have little effect on interpersonal relationships.
B) have a stronger hereditary component.
C) are more difficult to treat.
D) have the greatest impact on the individual with the disorder, and appear to have little effect on the people around him/her.

Question 5

According to John Livesly, personality disorder involves the failure to fulfill one or more of three life tasks or goals. Which of the following was not one of Livesly's life tasks?

A) To form stable, integrated, and coherent representations of self and others
B) To feel that you are leading a satisfying and happy life.
C) To be a useful member of society in that the person can engage in pro-social and cooperative activities.
D) To form intimate and positive affiliations with other people.

Question 6

Identify the key criteria that Theodore Millon uses to help distinguish normal versus disordered personality:

A) Multiple somatic complaints, mood swings, interpersonal difficulties
B) Schizophrenia, financial difficulties, low self-esteem
C) Difficult interpersonal relations, erratic behaviour, depression
D) Inflexible behaviour, self-defeating behaviour, structural instability

Question 7

According to the American Psychiatric Association, personality disorders typically involve aberrations and dysfunctions in terms of:

A) cognition, affect, interpersonal functioning, impulse control.
B) self-esteem, mood, interpersonal functioning, somatic functioning.
C) self-esteem, unpredictable behaviour, substance abuse, unreliability.
D) cognition, impulse control, depression, dishonesty.

Question 8

Research findings on the comorbidity of personality disorders indicate that:

A) individuals with personality disorders have an unusually high morbidity (death) rate.
B) individuals with personality disorders tend to associate with others who also have personality disorders.
C) individuals who meet criteria for one personality disorder are likely to meet criteria for a second personality disorder.
D) it is rare for an individual to have more than one personality disorder.

Question 9

The personality disorder clusters identified in the DSM:

A) are theoretically derived.
B) are empirically derived.
C) are both empirically and theoretically derived.
D) are based on subjective impressions.

Question 10

Empirical evaluation of the categorical and dimensional concepts of personality disorders:

A) supports a categorical approach.
B) supports a dimensional approach.
C) supports the categorical and the dimensional approaches equally.
D) challenges the existence of personality disorders as a diagnostic condition.

Question 11

Research findings from twin studies indicate that:

A) heritability rates for normal personality traits are in the 5-15% range.
B) heritability rates for normal personality traits are in the 20-30% range.
C) heritability rates for normal personality traits are in the 40-60% range.
D) personality traits are not inherited.

Question 12

Cross-cultural research on personality disorders has found that:

A) the rates of schizoid personality disorder were lower in Japan than in North American and Western European countries.
B) low rates of psychopathy in Scotland may be related to the tendency of psychopaths to migrate to large urban centers.
C) the incidence of histrionic personality disorder was higher in Italy and Latin American countries than in other countries.
D) the rates for all of the personality disorders were very similar in all countries studied.

Question 13

In Cluster A personality disorders:

A) the person exhibits dramatic or erratic behaviour.
B) the person exhibits odd or eccentric behaviour.
C) the person exhibits anxious or fearful behaviours.
D) the person exhibits compulsive or obsessive behaviours.

Question 14

According to Beck and Freeman's cognitive theory of personality disorders, people with ____________ personality disorder view themselves as righteous, innocent, noble, and vulnerable, and see others as interfering, malicious, and abusive.

A) narcissistic
B) paranoid
C) antisocial
D) dependent

Question 15

Robert has obsessive compulsive personality disorder. According to Beck and Freeman, he is likely to view himself as being:

A) responsible, accountable, fastidious, and competent.
B) an independent and strong loner.
C) special, unique, superior, and above the rules.
D) needy weak, helpless, and incompetent.

Question 16

Jennifer thinks that she is special, unique and superior to others. According to cognitive perspective, Jennifer's main strategies in life are to:

A) stay away from others and maintain an active fantasy life.
B) attack, deceive, and manipulate others.
C) be competitive, manipulative, and use others.
D) use charm and dramatics such as temper tantrums, crying, and gestures of suicide.

Question 17

_____________ personality disorder is diagnosed only if the person had a conduct disorder prior to the age of 15, and the symptoms persist in adulthood.

A) Schizotypal
B) Borderline
C) Histrionic
D) Anti-social

Question 18

This scale was developed by Robert Hare and his associates to assess psychopathy. Factor 1 of this scale measures emotional detachment and Factor 2 measures an unstable, antisocial, and impulsive lifestyle. The name of the scale is the:

A) NEO-PI-R.
B) PCL-R.
C) DAPP-BQ.
D) PSY-5.

Question 19

Most experts believe that psychologically-based treatment interventions to treat people with ________________are doomed to failure.

A) borderline personality disorder
B) narcissistic personality disorder
C) psychopathy
D) obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Question 20

The factor on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) that is consistently maladaptive is:

A) exploitativeness/entitlement.
B) leadership/authority.
C) superiority/arrogance.
D) self absorption/self admiration.

Question 21

Klein's research indicates that it is important to supplement self assessments of personality disorder with informant ratings. In Klein's seven-year longitudinal study of personality disorders in patients with a diagnosis of depression:

A) informants reports were superior to patients reports in predicting all follow-up measures of functioning.
B) patients reports were superior to informants reports in predicting all follow-up measures of functioning.
C) only the informant's ratings predicted the patient's level of social functioning.
D) only the informant's ratings predicted the patient's level of depression at follow-up.

Question 22

In a quantitative review of the association between self and informant reports of various personality disorders, the lowest level of agreement was found for ___________
Personality disorder.

A) antisocial
B) histrionic
C) borderline
D) narcissistic

Question 23

When people are asked to make personality ratings about themselves or others on a personality trait domain that is difficult to rate, the "self-based heuristic" comes into play. The term "self-based heuristic" means that:

A) people rate themselves more positively than others.
B) people attribute their own behaviour to situational factors and the behaviour of others to dispositional factors
C) ratings are reflective of the raters own personality features.
D) people rate others more positively than themselves.

Question 24

According to findings from an Internet-based study that used the NPI to study narcissism:

A) females have lower scores than males.
B) narcissism declines in successive age groups from 15 years of age to 54 years of age.
C) narcissism is higher in individualistic societies than collectivistic societies.
D) all of the above

Question 25

Achenbach has found that approximately ____________of studies of adult psychopathology involve informant reports.

A) less than 1%
B) 15%
C) 30%
D) 50%

Question 26

Identify the statement in which the personality disorder clusters are correctly matched with the descriptive terms.

A) Cluster A -fearful; Cluster B -dramatic and erratic; Cluster C -odd and eccentric
B) Cluster A -dramatic and erratic; Cluster B -odd and eccentric; Cluster C -fearful.
C) Cluster A -odd and eccentric; Cluster B -dramatic and erratic; Cluster C -fearful.
D) Cluster A -odd and eccentric; Cluster B -fearful; Cluster C -dramatic and erratic.

Question 27

In Cloninger's tridimensional model of personality and psychopathology:

A) character factors account for the initial development of the disorder, and temperament determines the type of disorder expressed.
B) environmental factors account for both the initial development of the disorder and the type of disorder expressed.
C) parenting styles interact with biological factors to account for the development of the disorder.
D) temperament accounts for the initial development of the disorder, and character factors determine the type of disorder.

Question 28

The dimensions of Cloninger's tridimensional model

A) are rooted in environmental factors.
B) are rooted in biological factors.
C) are rooted in a combination of biological and environmental factors.
D) have remained unchanged since the introduction of the model.

Question 29

In Cloninger's tridimensional model:

A) there are three temperaments dimensions; harm avoidance, novelty seeking, reward dependence.
B) there are four temperament dimensions; harm avoidance, novelty seeking, reward dependence, and persistence.
C) there are four temperament dimensions and three dimensions reflecting individual differences in character.
D) None of the above

Question 30

The five factor traits that have the broadest associations with personality disorders are:

A) neuroticism, agreeableness, and either low or high extroversion.
B) openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion.
C) low agreeableness, neuroticism, high conscientiousness.
D) neuroticism and low openness to experience.

Question 31

The traits of the five-factor model are especially applicable to:

A) dependent and antisocial personality disorder.
B) schizotypal and paranoid personality disorder.
C) obsessive compulsive and schizoid personality disorder.
D) borderline and avoidant personality disorder.

Question 32

The term PSY-5 applies to:

A) the personality disorder subscale of the five factor model.
B) five factors commonly associated with psychopathology.
C) the psychopathology five derived from the MMPI-2.
D) a subscale of the NEO-PI-R.

Question 33

The _______________test/scale lends support to the dimensional model of personality.

A) MMPI-2
B) CHIP
C) DAPP-BQ
D) the Psychopathy checklist

Question 34

University students:

A) are less likely to binge drink than others of the same age who are not in university
B) are less likely to be diagnosed with a drinking problem than non students of the same age
C) are more likely to be diagnosed with a drinking problem than non students of the same age
D) show substantially different drinking patterns depending on whether they live in Canada or the United States.

Question 35

In a 15-year longitudinal study, Shedler and Block found that substance abuse is predicted by:

A) impulsivity, interpersonal alienation, emotional distress.
B) extroversion and neuroticism.
C) low pain tolerance and emotional distress.
D) extroversion and low conscientiousness.

Question 36

Binge drinking is associated with:

A) introversion and hostility
B) psychoticism and neuroticism
C) dependency and social anxiety
D) perfectionism

Question 37

Theorists have focused on two main classes of variables in the attempt to link personality factors with substance abuse. The two variables are:

A) tension relief and behavioural disinhibition.
B) extraversion and aggression.
C) reward dependence and fear avoidance.
D) narcissism and aggression.

Question 38

According to Cloninger, Type 1 Alcoholics are _______________ and Type 2 alcoholics are _________ .

A) quiet and dependent; sensation seekers
B) lonely and socially isolated; extroverted and fun loving.
C) no different from non alcoholics except that they drink too much; disinhibited.
D) sensation seekers; perfectionists.

Question 39

A problem with research on personality factors and drinking is that:

A) findings on the relations between drinking and personality are overly simplistic.
B) the research assumes that people have accurate insight into why they drink.
C) findings on drinking and personality are contradictory.
D) drinking behaviour is not predicted by personality.

Question 40

All of the following statements about drinking and expectancies are true except:

A) Heavy drinkers have stronger positive expectancies than do lighter drinkers.
B) We can predict when young adolescents will begin drinking once we know if their expectancies about drinking are primarily negative or positive.
C) People who are socially inhibited tend to see alcohol as a negative transforming force.
D) People high in hostility endorse the view that alcohol increases power.

Question 41

According to the ________________ of drinking, drinking results in reduced self-awareness and decreases the cognitive ability to focus on personal shortcomings and deficiencies.

A) self-awareness model of drinking
B) self-handicapping theory of drinking
C) social learning theory of alcoholism
D) cognitive awareness theory of drinking

Question 42

Instead of working on an essay that was due on Monday, David spent most of the weekend drinking beer at a folk music festival. Predictably, he received a low grade on the essay. David attributed his poor performance to the way he spent the weekend, and thus maintained his image of himself as a capable student. This example is consistent with the ___________________ of drinking.

A) social learning theory
B) self-justification model
C) self-awareness model
D) self-handicapping theory

Question 43

Dr. Grant writes in a report "Mr. Fleming's depression stems from the combination of (1) high levels of perfectionism (2) the stress of losing his job of 9 years." Dr. Grant has used a ______________model of depression.

A) five factor
B) sociotropy
C) diathesis-stress
D) self-criticism and dependency

Question 44

According to Sidney Blatt, the ______________ orientation involves excessive levels of self-criticism and self punitiveness.

A) projective
B) introjective
C) anaclictic
D) dependency

Question 45

Identify the statement about schema therapy that is incorrect.

A) Early maladaptive schemas are broad, pervasive, and dysfunctional patterns involving the self and the self in relation to others.
B) Several studies have associated particular maladaptive schemas with personality dysfunction.
C) Therapy can be directed to changing, and perhaps removing each early maladaptive schema.
D) Initial evidence indicates that schema therapy is not effective.

Question 46

According to Beck, ______________ individuals are especially concerned about pleasing others, avoiding disapproval, and avoiding separation.

A) sociotropic
B) autonomous
C) self-conscious
D) perfectionistic

Question 47

According to the social expectations model:

A) children imitate their perfectionistic parents.
B) children learn that they will receive parental approval if they meet the very high standards of their parents.
C) the child reacts to a harsh environment by becoming perfectionistic.
D) the pressure of unrealistic social expectations leads children to become perfectionistic.

Question 48

The actress Ashley Judd had a chaotic upbringing, with 12 moves in 11 years of her childhood. Perhaps in an attempt to establish a sense of control in an unpredictable environment, Ms. Judd developed "extreme perfectionism." Ms. Judd's case exemplifies the ___________ model of perfectionism.

A) social expectations
B) social learning
C) social reaction
D) social instability

Question 49

Identify and discuss four potential roles of personality in psychopathology.

Question 50

Identify and discuss four criteria for defining abnormal behaviour.

Question 51

Present Millon's three key criteria for distinguishing between normal and abnormal personality.

Question 52

Discuss the evidence for the dimensional conceptualization of personality disorders.

Question 53

What is the distinguishing feature of psychopathy, and how might people with this disorder come across to others? What kinds of actions are psychopaths capable of, and how do they describe their actions? What is the prognosis for rehabilitation?

Question 54

Identify and briefly discuss Bornstein's four components of dependency.

Question 55

According to Paris, there are differences in psychotherapy issues for patients with personality disorders from the three clusters. Identify the relevant problems and issues for therapy for each cluster.

Question 56

Select two different personality disorders. For each disorder, identify the relevant factors from the five-factor model, and indicate if the person with the disorder would be expected to be high or low in each relevant factor.

Question 57

Identify and briefly explain three models of drinking behaviour.

Question 58

List and briefly explain three models of how people become perfectionists.