Question 1

In which disorder does a person seem to experience at least two or more distinct personalities existing in one body?

Accepted Answer

Dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder) is a condition in which a person's identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personalities. These various identities may have their own name, characteristics, and mannerisms and can take control of the person's behavior at different times.

Question 2

While talking with his best friend Johnny, Maurice, who is clearly down and out, says "Dude, I just have no luck with girls at all. I asked Gina out last night and she turned me down flat. Nobody will EVER want to go out with me. Why am I such a loser?" Because Johnny has recently taken an abnormal psychology class, he uses a cognitive perspective to answer Maurice. Which of the following might Johnny say?

Accepted Answer

Johnny's response uses a cognitive perspective, which focuses on the individual's thoughts and beliefs. Option D suggests that Maurice is overgeneralizing, meaning he is applying one negative experience with a girl to all girls. This is a common cognitive distortion, and Johnny is suggesting that Maurice should not make such a generalization.

Question 3

Eve seeks treatment to learn how to relax. When her therapist hypnotizes her, her voice changes and someone claiming her name is "Joan" begins to speak. During therapy, 23 separate entities, each with its own name, personal style, and memories emerge. Eve appears to be suffering from ______ disorder.

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is a classic example of dissociative identity disorder, commonly known as multiple personality disorder. This disorder involves the presence of two or more distinct personality states, each with its own way of perceiving and interacting with the world, as well as its own memories and behaviors. Depersonalization/derealization disorder involves a persistent feeling of detachment or unreality, conversion disorder involves physical symptoms that have no underlying medical cause, and schizoid personality disorder is a personality disorder characterized by social withdrawal and emotional detachment.

Question 4

Steve's psychiatrist notes that Steve is experiencing a disruption of the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, and identity. Therefore, Steve most likely has a(n) ________ disorder.

Accepted Answer

The disruption of consciousness, memory, and identity are all symptoms of dissociative disorders. Schizophrenia involves symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, adjustment disorders involve a stressor causing significant emotional or behavioral symptoms, and impulse-control disorders involve a failure to resist urges to engage in harmful behaviors.

Question 5

The disorder or culture-bound syndrome in which one fears that their genitals are shrinking is primarily found in which country?

Accepted Answer

This disorder is primarily found in China and is known as Koro. Koro is a culture-bound syndrome where individuals have an overpowering belief that their genitals are retracting and will disappear, despite the lack of any true basis for this belief. It reflects deep cultural, psychological, and social influences.

Question 6

Liza has an anxiety disorder. She is currently seeing a therapist who believes that anxiety disorders are a result of illogical, irrational thought processes. Liza is probably seeking treatment from a _____________.

Accepted Answer

Liza's therapist's belief that anxiety disorders are related to illogical, irrational thought processes suggests a focus on cognitive processes, making option B, a cognitive psychologist, the best choice. Option A, a behavioral psychologist, may focus more on observable behaviors rather than thoughts or cognitions. Option C, a psychoanalyst, may focus more on unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences as the root of psychological disorders. Option D, a psychologist with a biological perspective, may focus more on the biological and genetic factors that contribute to psychological disorders.

Question 7

A dissociative state that involves sudden travel from home, the taking on of a new identity, and amnesia regarding the trip and one's actual personal information is called ______.

Accepted Answer

The dissociative state described involves sudden travel from home, taking on a new identity, and amnesia, which are all characteristic of dissociative fugue. Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities and is not related to sudden travel or amnesia. Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness characterized by symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking, which are not related to the dissociative state described. Depersonalization/derealization disorder involves feelings of detachment from one's self or surroundings, but not the sudden travel and identity change seen in dissociative fugue.

Question 8

Sandy has a tendency to make everything seem much worse than it actually is. Beck would say that Sandy has a tendency to engage in ___________.

Accepted Answer

Magnification involves blowing things out of proportion or making them seem worse than they actually are, which is what Sandy is doing.

Question 9

"Oh my gosh," Sara exclaims as she leaves her biology exam. "I just KNOW that I got number 48 wrong! I just know that I'm going to fail this class." According to a cognitive psychologist, Sara is engaging in which of the following distorted thought processes?

Accepted Answer

The answer of "Oh my gosh," Sara exclaims as she...

Question 10

A dissociative disorder characterized by a partial or complete loss of memory for personal information that is usually associated with a stressful or emotionally traumatic experience is known as ______.

Accepted Answer

Dissociative amnesia involves a loss of memory for personal information, particularly related to a traumatic event. It can be partial or complete and is not related to physical brain damage or injury. The other options (A, B, D) are also dissociative disorders but each has a different set of symptoms and characteristics.

Question 11

Which of the following perspectives claims that shaping may play a big role in the development of some cases of dissociative identity disorder?

Accepted Answer

The behavioral perspective suggests that dissociative identity disorder may develop due to shaping, in which behaviors that are reinforced become more likely to occur again in the future. The development of different identities may begin as a coping mechanism that is reinforced over time.

Question 12

Which of the following culture-bound disorders is most commonly seen in Latin America?

Accepted Answer

Ataque de nervios is a culture-bound syndrome commonly seen in Latin America, particularly in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Koro is primarily seen in Southeast Asia, anorexia nervosa is a global disorder, and amok is most commonly associated with Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander cultures.

Question 13

After being passed up for a promotion and then getting into a heated argument with his son, a man disappears. He shows up two weeks later in another town with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He appears to be suffering from ______.

Accepted Answer

The man's sudden disappearance and memory loss suggest a dissociative disorder, specifically a dissociative amnesia. This could have been triggered by the stress of being passed up for a promotion and the argument with his son.

Question 14

A team of investigators has found that persons suffering from depersonalization/derealization disorder show significant differences in _________ when different personalities are present.

Accepted Answer

PET scan activity is the best choice since it is a measure of brain activity and has been used in previous studies to show differences in brain function related to depersonalization/derealization disorder. The other options (metabolism, brain wave activity, hormone release) have not been consistently linked to the disorder in previous research.

Question 15

The police find a man who is disheveled and in a daze wandering through the downtown area. When the police ask him for his name, he seems bewildered. A search of missing persons photographs reveals that this man was reported missing three months ago in a town more than 700 miles away. The man is most likely suffering from _________.

Accepted Answer

The man is exhibiting symptoms of dissociative fugue, which is a rare dissociative disorder characterized by amnesia and a sudden, unplanned departure from home. The person may not remember their past identity and may create a new identity while in this fugue state. This explains why the man does not remember his name and why he was found 700 miles away from where he was reported missing. Schizophrenia, depersonalization/derealization disorder, and dissociative identity disorder do not fully explain the specific symptoms exhibited by the man in this scenario.

Question 16

Disorders in which there is a break in conscious awareness, memory, the sense of identity, or some combination are called _________.

Accepted Answer

Dissociative disorders involve a disruption or break in conscious awareness, memory, or identity, which may include dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, and dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder). Paraphilias involve unusual sexual desires, fantasies, or behaviors, anxiety disorders involve excessive and persistent fear or worry, and somatoform disorders involve physical symptoms or complaints that cannot be fully explained by a medical condition.

Question 17

Ned seeks therapy after having recurrent episodes of feeling "detached from himself" for several months, but he has not lost his self-awareness or memory. He notes that he feels like a robot, disconnected from his movements and actions. He is most likely suffering from ______.

Accepted Answer

Ned's symptoms match those of depersonalization/derealization disorder, which is characterized by feelings of detachment from oneself, as if one is observing their own actions from a distance, or experiencing the world as if it is unreal or distorted. Dissociative fugue involves periods of amnesia and wandering from one's usual environment, conversion disorder involves physical symptoms without an underlying medical explanation, and dissociative identity disorder involves a fragmentation of one's identity into multiple distinct personalities.

Question 18

What is the name of the culture-bound syndrome that involves a period of increased agitation and violence?

Accepted Answer

Amok is a culture-bound syndrome observed primarily in Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander cultures. It involves a sudden period of increased agitation and violence, often leading to a killing spree or suicide.

Question 19

Disorders characterized by disturbances in emotion are known as ______ disorders.

Accepted Answer

Mood disorders are characterized by disturbances in emotion, including depression, bipolar disorder, and other related conditions. Conversion disorders involve physical symptoms that have no physical cause, somatoform disorders involve physical symptoms that can't be explained by a medical condition, and dissociative disorders involve disruptions in consciousness, memory, and identity.

Question 20

According to the biological perspective, generalized anxiety disorder is _________.

Accepted Answer

The biological perspective on generalized anxiety disorder suggests that it is related to a higher level of activity in the amygdala, a brain structure involved in processing emotions and responding to threats in the environment.

Quiz 12: Psychological Disorders