Deck 16: Personality Disorders

Question 1

People with _____ personality disorder are generally grandiose, need much admiration, and feel no empathy for others.

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

Answer 1

narcissistic

Question 2

_____ personality disorder was formerly a name for histrionic personality disorder.

A) Hysterical
B) Borderline
C) Dramatic
D) Narcissistic

Answer 2

Hysterical

Question 3

Which is NOT given as a theory for why people with antisocial personality disorder experience less anxiety than other people?

A) slow EEG waves
B) slow EKG waves
C) low brain and bodily arousal
D) slow autonomic arousal

Answer 3

slow EKG waves

Question 4

Psychodynamic explanations for dependent personality disorder are very similar to those for:

A) mania.
B) psychosis.
C) depression.
D) attachment disorder.

Question 5

_____, which helps clients increase their ability to tolerate distress, learn new social skills, and respond more effectively to life situations, is considered the treatment of choice in many clinical circles for borderline personality disorder.

A) Rational-emotive behavioral therapy
B) Psychodynamic therapy
C) Social modeling therapy
D) Dialectical behavioral therapy

Question 6

Personality disorders typically become recognizable in:

A) early childhood.
B) middle childhood.
C) middle age.
D) adolescence or early adulthood.

Question 7

The basic structure of personality may consist of five "supertraits," which do not include:

A) neuroticism.
B) paranoia.
C) extroversion.
D) openness to experiences.

Question 8

Which is NOT a problem with the DSM-5 categories of personality disorders?

A) Some of the criteria used to diagnose personality disorders cannot be observed directly.
B) All of the personality disorders are seen more in men than in women, suggesting a bias in diagnostic criteria.
C) Some personality disorders within a cluster, or even between clusters, may be very similar.
D) People with quite different personalities may qualify for the same personality disorder diagnosis.

Question 9

The cluster of "anxious" personality disorders includes avoidant, dependent, and _____ personality disorders.

A) paranoid
B) antisocial
C) histrionic
D) obsessive-compulsive

Question 10

A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of clinging and obedience, fear of separation, and ongoing need to be taken care of is:

A) histrionic personality disorder.
B) narcissistic personality disorder.
C) dependent personality disorder.
D) avoidant personality disorder.

Question 11

Which is NOT a personality tendency that would be included in the newly proposed diagnosis that is called personality disorder trait specified (PDTS)?

A) manipulativeness
B) attention seeking
C) hostility
D) sexual promiscuity

Question 12

Enduring and predictable behavioral consistencies are often called:

A) learned characteristics.
B) inherited characteristics.
C) personality traits.
D) character traits.

Question 13

Men are _____ as likely as women to display obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

A) five times
B) twice
C) four times
D) one and one-half times

Question 14

Psychodynamic therapists believe that people with histrionic personality disorder are trying to defend against a deep-seated fear of:

A) being alone.
B) becoming penniless.
C) loss.
D) mistrust.

Question 15

Which group of people is least trusted by other members of society?

A) fellow churchgoers
B) police department
C) clerks in stores
D) members of Congress

Question 16

Which statement is true of the relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder?

A) Researchers have not found a specific link between the two disorders.
B) People with obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorder usually develop obsessive-compulsive personality disorder within 3 years.
C) In order to be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, there must be a history of suffering from obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorder at some point in the person's life.
D) Researchers have found that both disorders are related to a decrease in the neurotransmitter GABA in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

Question 17

People with _____ personality disorder persistently avoid and are removed from social relationships and demonstrate little in the way of emotion.

A) avoidant
B) schizoid
C) obsessive-compulsive
D) schizotypal

Question 18

What is the primary reason that people with schizoid personality disorder avoid social contact?

A) paranoid feelings
B) distrust of others
C) fear of rejection
D) preference to be alone

Question 19

People with _____ personality disorder are sometimes described as "psychopaths" or "sociopaths."

A) borderline
B) obsessive-compulsive
C) antisocial
D) narcissistic

Question 20

Children with _____ and an accompanying _____ disorder apparently have a heightened risk of developing antisocial personality disorder.

A) conduct disorder; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
B) oppositional defiant disorder; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
C) reactive attachment disorder; attention-deficit disorder
D) conduct disorder; oppositional defiant disorder

Question 21

People with _____ personality disorder display a range of interpersonal problems marked by extreme discomfort in close relationships, odd patterns of thinking and perceiving, and behavioral eccentricities.

A) schizoid
B) schizoaffective
C) schizotypal
D) avoidant

Question 22

People with one of the "odd" clusters of personality disorders often qualify for an additional diagnosis of:

A) schizophrenia.
B) depression.
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder.
D) mental retardation.

Question 23

Psychodynamic theorists believe that people who develop antisocial personality disorder have failed to develop a sense of:

A) industry.
B) identity.
C) doubt.
D) trust.

Question 24

What is the primary distinction between the beliefs of someone with paranoid personality disorder and someone with paranoid schizophrenia?

A) The beliefs of someone with paranoid personality disorder are usually delusional, while the beliefs of someone with paranoid schizophrenia are not.
B) The beliefs of someone with paranoid personality disorder are not usually delusional, while the beliefs of someone with paranoid schizophrenia are.
C) Both individuals will suffer from delusions, but only those with paranoid schizophrenia will suffer from bizarre delusions.
D) The beliefs of both individuals are based on real encounters with others, and are accurate perceptions of the real world.

Question 25

DSM-5 stipulates that a person must be at least 18 years of age to receive the diagnosis of _____ personality disorder.

A) histrionic
B) narcissistic
C) antisocial
D) obsessive-compulsive

Question 26

Research has found that individuals with antisocial personality disorder often seem to experience less _____ than other people, a key ingredient to learning.

A) discipline
B) anxiety
C) reflection
D) processing skills

Question 27

Which is not a quality/skill that may shift in a person with borderline personality disorder?

A) friends
B) sexual orientation
C) athletic ability
D) goals and aspirations

Question 28

Which is NOT an area the DSM-5 lists as required to be affected by a personality disorder?

A) intelligence
B) cognition
C) social interactions
D) impulsivity

Question 29

Which treatment approach is of limited help for sufferers of paranoid personality disorder?

A) object relationship therapy
B) drug therapy
C) cognitive therapy
D) behavioral therapy

Question 30

Which is NOT a biological factor that is common to people with schizophrenia and people with schizotypal personality disorder?

A) reduced activity of serotonin
B) enlarged brain ventricles
C) high activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine
D) loss of gray matter

Question 31

Freudian theorists suggest that people with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are:

A) anal expulsive.
B) anal retentive.
C) oral retentive.
D) oral regressive.

Question 32

An enduring, rigid pattern of inner experience and outward behavior that impairs the sense of self, emotional experiences, goals, capacity for empathy, and/or capacity for intimacy is known as a:

A) character flaw.
B) character disorder.
C) personality disorder.
D) schizoaffective disorder.

Question 33

According to a large body of research with diverse populations, how many "supertraits," or factors, may describe the basic structure of personality?

A) 3
B) 5
C) 10
D) 16

Question 34

The diagnostic features of which personality disorder bear the greatest similarity to people who are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (social phobia)?

A) avoidant
B) schizoid
C) narcissistic
D) passive-aggressive

Question 35

The cluster of "dramatic" personality disorders includes:

A) antisocial, borderline, and avoidant.
B) narcissistic, histrionic, paranoid, and obsessive-compulsive.
C) antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic.
D) antisocial, borderline, and schizotypal.

Question 36

People with _____ personality disorder display great instability, major shifts in mood, an unstable self-image, and impulsivity.

A) narcissistic
B) avoidant
C) borderline
D) obsessive-compulsive

Question 37

The lack of consensus about the correct diagnosis of personality disorders questions the _____ of the DSM categories.

A) validity and interrater opinion
B) reliability and interrater opinion
C) interrater opinion and select agreement
D) validity and reliability

Question 38

The "odd" cluster of personality disorders consists of which personality disorders?

A) paranoid, antisocial, borderline
B) paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal
C) antisocial, borderline, avoidant
D) dependent, obsessive-compulsive, borderline

Question 39

Which is NOT a description of the three clusters of DSM-5 personality disorders?

A) odd or eccentric behavior
B) dramatic behavior
C) high degree of anxiety
D) high degree of learned helplessness

Question 40

Which personality disorder was once called "hysterical personality disorder" and involves individuals who are typically described as emotionally charged and seeking to be the center of attention?

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

Question 41

An enduring, rigid pattern of inner experience and outward behavior that impairs the sense of self, emotional experiences, goals, capacity for empathy, and/or capacity for intimacy is termed:

A) personality.
B) personality traits.
C) personality characteristics.
D) personality disorder.

Question 42

Which is NOT a criticism of DSM-5 diagnoses of personality disorders?

A) the reliability of the diagnosis
B) the validity of the diagnosis
C) distinguishing one personality disorder from another personality disorder
D) incorporating new research into the new edition

Question 43

An individual has just received a diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder. That individual is MOST likely to have a parent or sibling who has:

A) bipolar disorder.
B) schizophrenia.
C) one of the paraphilias.
D) alcoholism.

Question 44

One reason that the personality disorders are difficult to treat is that the afflicted individuals:

A) enjoy their symptoms and do not seek change.
B) are frequently unaware that they have a problem.
C) experience no distress and do not want treatment.
D) have accompanying mood disorders that must be treated first.

Question 45

The set of uniquely expressed characteristics that influence behaviors, emotions, thoughts, and interactions that is unique to each individual is termed:

A) a trait.
B) character.
C) personality.
D) individuality.

Question 46

"It is clear that very demanding parents caused this person to develop paranoid personality disorder." This statement MOST likely would be made by someone from which theoretical perspective?

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) sociocultural
D) psychodynamic

Question 47

Based on a structured interview, Diagnostician A classifies an individual's personality disorder in the "odd" cluster. Based on another structured interview of the same type, Diagnostician B classifies an individual's personality disorder in the "dramatic" cluster. If what is described here is typical of what happens when that variety of structured interview is used, one would say the structured interview has:

A) high reliability and high validity.
B) high reliability and low validity.
C) low reliability and high validity.
D) low reliability and low validity

Question 48

The category of "odd" personality disorders includes the traits of:

A) anxiety and fearfulness.
B) being highly dramatic, emotional, or erratic.
C) inflexibility and total loss of contact with reality.
D) extreme suspiciousness, social withdrawal, and cognitive and perceptual peculiarities.

Question 49

The consistencies of one's characteristics are called:

A) inherited characteristics.
B) learned responses.
C) personality traits.
D) personality typologies.

Question 50

Which would a phrenologist MOST likely have done?

A) assessed personality by feeling for bumps and indentations on the head
B) argued that personality disorders should not be categorized according to symptoms
C) treated personality disorders using didactic behavioral therapy
D) criticized the validity and reliability of personality disorders in DSM

Question 51

The categorical approach to personality disorders assumes that:

A) problematic personality traits are either present or absent.
B) personality disorders are best understood on a continuum based on severity of symptoms.
C) individuals can turn their symptoms off and on like a light switch.
D) children as well as adults should be diagnosed with personality disorders.

Question 52

Which statement is accurate, in terms of current research findings?

A) "Odd" personality disorders cause schizophrenia.
B) "Odd" personality disorders are caused by schizophrenia.
C) "Odd" personality disorders and schizophrenia are related to one another.
D) "Odd" personality disorders and schizophrenia are not related to one another.

Question 53

DSM-5 has been described as functioning like a light switch, which can be "on" or "off." In other words, one either does or does not qualify for a personality disorder diagnosis. Some theorists suggest that degree of symptoms, not symptom absence or presence, is more important and similar to a:

A) flashlight, running on batteries.
B) dimmer switch, with the light adjustable from all the way off to all the way on.
C) candle, which may be blown out at any time.
D) capacitor, which builds up a charge slowly then discharges it all at once.

Question 54

The MOST important similarity among the personality disorders listed in the text is that:

A) disorders of thought, perception, and attention are present.
B) the personality traits are limited to discrete periods of illness.
C) they are inflexible, maladaptive, and related to impaired functioning or distress.
D) they are social in that they involve an inability to form lasting relationships with other people.

Question 55

How do personality disorders differ from the personality characteristics of typical people?

A) They lead to more maladaptive, distressful, and inflexible behaviors.
B) They include personality traits not experienced by typical people.
C) They are generally treated successfully with antipsychotic medication.
D) They are caused by epigenetic processes.

Question 56

Reese is distrustful of others and reacts quickly to perceived threats. Even though he has no evidence, he is sure his wife is unfaithful. He finds it almost impossible to forgive those he thinks have wronged him. Reese displays the characteristics of:

A) avoidant personality disorder.
B) paranoid personality disorder.
C) narcissistic personality disorder.
D) obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Question 57

If you believe that personality disorders are BEST understood as a matter of degree in difference from typical personality rather than as a specific diagnosis, you agree with:

A) the dimensional approach.
B) the categorical approach.
C) the symptomatic approach.
D) the cluster approach.

Question 58

Comorbidity describes a situation in which:

A) one disorder develops into another.
B) one disorder automatically implies the other.
C) two disorders occur together in an individual.
D) the appearance of one disorder implies the disappearance of the one that preceded it.

Question 59

DSM-5, like its predecessor, DSM-IV-TR, identifies 10 personality disorders utilizing a:

A) systematical approach.
B) categorical approach.
C) dimensional approach.
D) phrenological approach.

Question 60

Which is NOT the name used for a cluster of personality disorders?

A) odd
B) dramatic
C) anxious
D) schizophrenic

Question 61

There is a new game called "Moods" where one acts out the mood listed on a card. Being encouraged to play this game is most like the treatment _____ might use for those with schizoid disorders.

A) psychoanalytic therapists
B) cognitive therapists
C) behavioral therapists
D) biological therapists

Question 62

The theorist who describes schizoid personality disorder as developing from coping with parental rejection by avoiding relationships represents the:

A) cognitive perspective,
B) behavioral perspective.
C) existential perspective.
D) psychodynamic perspective.

Question 63

Digressive and vague language with loose associations accompanied by attention and concentration problems are characteristic of:

A) schizoid personality disorder.
B) avoidant personality disorder.
C) paranoid personality disorder.
D) schizotypal personality disorder.

Question 64

According to current research, if a person living in the United States is distrustful of both lawyers and congressional members, that type of person is:

A) rare; such distrust defines those with paranoid personality disorder.
B) rare; such distrust defines those with schizotypal personality disorder.
C) uncommon; great distrust of congressional members but not great distrust of lawyers defines those with paranoid personality disorder.
D) common; most people in the United States distrust both lawyers and congressional members.

Question 65

The schizoid personality disorder differs from paranoid personality disorder in that:

A) those with schizoid personality disorder seek close affiliations with others, while those with paranoid personality do not.
B) paranoid personality disorder is treatable only through drug therapy; schizoid personality can be treated with psychotherapy.
C) women are more likely to have schizoid personality disorder than paranoid personality disorder; the opposite is true for men.
D) those with schizoid personality disorder desire to be alone; those with paranoid personality are alone because of suspiciousness.

Question 66

Wes has always been a loner. He has never much cared for being with other people and does not form relationships easily. He appears to be without emotion. Wes may be exhibiting:

A) schizoid personality disorder.
B) paranoid personality disorder.
C) histrionic personality disorder.
D) narcissistic personality disorder.

Question 67

A person who does poorly on a task called backward masking is MOST likely to be experiencing:

A) schizoid personality disorder.
B) paranoid personality disorder.
C) borderline personality disorder.
D) schizotypal personality disorder.

Question 68

One similarity of those experiencing paranoid personality disorder and those experiencing schizoid personality disorder is that they tend:

A) not to have close ties to others.
B) to distrust others.
C) to be described by others as arrogant and angry.
D) not to score well on typical intelligence tests.

Question 69

The disorder that appears to be MOST closely related to the schizotypal personality disorder is:

A) anxiety.
B) schizophrenia.
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder.
D) narcissistic personality disorder.

Question 70

The type of therapy that generally provides the least help for those with schizoid personality disorder is:

A) behavioral.
B) drug.
C) cognitive.
D) psychodynamic.

Question 71

The parents of those with schizoid personality disorder are MOST likely to have been:

A) responsive.
B) accepting.
C) unaccepting.
D) available.

Question 72

A person experiencing paranoid personality disorder frequently says things like "You've got to get them before they get you," and "People have been sinners since the Garden of Eden." If these sayings reflect maladaptive assumptions the person has about people in general, the theorist who would be LEAST surprised would have which theoretical position?

A) cognitive
B) biological
C) sociocultural
D) psychodynamic

Question 73

A belief that the news anchor on CNN is giving one important messages about one's behavior reflects:

A) bodily illusions.
B) ideas of reference.
C) passive-aggressive disorder.
D) backward masking.

Question 74

When Selina sees a report of a train wreck on television, she thinks that it is a sign that she should not take the train to work the next day and so decides to take the bus instead. If she has a diagnosable personality disorder, it is MOST likely:

A) schizoid personality disorder.
B) avoidant personality disorder.
C) paranoid personality disorder.
D) schizotypal personality disorder.

Question 75

Schizotypal personality disorders differ from other "odd" personality disorders in that they are related to schizophrenia and:

A) stress disorders.
B) mood disorders.
C) anxiety disorders.
D) intellectual disorders.

Question 76

An individual diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder reports having a great deal of difficulty figuring out how others feel and as a child had difficulty developing adequate language skills. These findings would make the MOST sense to a theorist with which background?

A) psychodynamic
B) sociocultural
C) cognitive
D) biological

Question 77

Which statement regarding the treatment of paranoid personality disorder is accurate?

A) Drug therapy generally works best.
B) Psychodynamic therapy involving hypnotic regression is often effective.
C) Behavioral therapy usually works well, and in relatively few sessions.
D) Most therapies are of limited effectiveness and progress slowly.

Question 78

Cognitive theorists believe that because those with schizoid personalities have difficulty scanning the environment, perceiving accurately, and picking up emotional cues, they develop _____ very slowly.

A) language and motor skills
B) secondary sex characteristics
C) allergies and other medical problems
D) thinking disorders

Question 79

A client has enlarged brain ventricles and a measurable loss of gray matter. These symptoms are:

A) psychoneuroimmunological, and the most likely diagnosis is schizotypal personality disorder.
B) psychoneuroimmunological, and the most likely diagnosis is antisocial personality disorder.
C) biological, and the most likely diagnosis is schizotypal personality disorder.
D) biological, and the most likely diagnosis is antisocial personality disorder.

Question 80

A person who is LEAST likely to be affected by criticism or praise from other people is one suffering from:

A) avoidant personality disorder.
B) schizoid personality disorder.
C) paranoid personality disorder.
D) obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.