Question 1

A group of diagnostic clinicians can't agree with each other on appropriate personality disorder diagnoses for several clients. In fact, it is obvious that, in many cases, they have inaccurately made their diagnoses. Assuming they are competent clinicians, this situation would indicate the DSM-5 categories for personality disorder are:

Accepted Answer

The disagreement among competent clinicians on diagnoses and the inaccuracy of many diagnoses indicate that the DSM-5 categories for personality disorder are neither reliable (since clinicians cannot consistently agree on diagnoses) nor valid (since the diagnoses do not accurately reflect the actual disorders).

Question 2

Which is NOT a problem in the use of the DSM-5 to diagnose personality disorders?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which is NOT a problem in the...

Question 3

Which statement most accurately reflects up-to-date research on DSM-5 categories of personality disorder?

Accepted Answer

The DSM-5 recognizes that there is significant overlap in symptoms among different personality disorders, and individuals can receive the same diagnosis despite having different personality traits. This reflects the dimensional approach to personality disorders, acknowledging the complexity and variability in presentations.

Question 4

If future editions of the DSM change to a dimensional approach in the diagnosis of personality disorders, clinicians will have to:

Accepted Answer

If the DSM changes to a dimensional approach in the diagnosis of personality disorders, clinicians will need to rate the degree of dysfunctioning caused by each person's traits in diagnosing personality disorders. This would require a shift away from the current categorical approach and an emphasis on measuring the severity of symptom presentation.

Question 5

Some researchers note that the majority of those diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are female and that many of these women experienced emotional trauma, victimization, violence, and various forms of abuse as children. As a result, these researchers view the disorder as a special form of:

Accepted Answer

The research suggests that many individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder experience emotional trauma, victimization, violence, and abuse as children. Given this evidence, some researchers view borderline personality disorder as a special form of posttraumatic stress disorder. Therefore, choice D is the best answer.

Question 6

The lack of multicultural research is of special concern with regard to:

Accepted Answer

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is of special concern regarding the lack of multicultural research because its diagnosis and treatment have been primarily studied within Western cultures. This limitation raises questions about the universality of BPD symptoms and the effectiveness of treatment across different cultural contexts.

Question 7

If instruments such as the "Big Five" are used to describe personality, rather than relying on DSM-5, then diagnoses of psychological disorder would become:

Accepted Answer

If instruments such as the "Big Five" are used to describe personality, diagnoses of psychological disorder would become less categorical and more a matter of degree. Unlike the DSM-5, which relies on categorical diagnosis, the Big Five assesses personality traits along a continuous spectrum. This means that a person may exhibit varying degrees of certain traits, rather than fitting neatly into one specific diagnostic category.

Question 8

Some multicultural theorists believe that borderline personality disorder is actually a reaction to persistent feelings of marginality, powerlessness, and social failure. If they are correct, then the disorder is a result of:

Accepted Answer

Multicultural theorists believe that social inequalities such as marginalization and powerlessness contribute to the development of borderline personality disorder. This suggests that the disorder is not solely a result of individual psychological or biological factors, but rather a reaction to systemic societal factors. Childhood abuse may contribute to the development of the disorder in some cases, but it is not the primary cause according to this perspective.

Question 9

With the help of a therapist, a client with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder has experienced a dramatic decrease in both dichotomous thinking and worrying. The client's behavior is:

Accepted Answer

Most individuals with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder do not seek help because they may not perceive their symptoms as problematic. Cognitive therapy is a commonly used treatment for this disorder as it focuses on challenging and changing the individual's maladaptive thought processes and behaviors. Therefore, it is likely that the client in this scenario is receiving cognitive therapy, which has resulted in a decrease in dichotomous thinking and worrying.

Question 10

"Let's try to figure out where clients fall on several key personality traits, rather than using a dichotomous classification system." Someone saying this would MOST likely favor which approach to classifying personality disorders?

Accepted Answer

The statement is advocating for a dimensional approach to classifying personality traits, rather than the traditional dichotomous classification system used in the DSM-5.

Question 11

The persistent and consistent personality characteristics that lead us to react in fairly predictable ways are often called personality _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The persistent and consistent personality characteristics that...

Question 12

According to the DSM-5, a pattern diagnosed as a personality disorder must deviate substantially from the norms and expectations of the individual's culture. As a result:

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the DSM-5, a pattern diagnosed...

Question 13

Currently, the "Big-Five" approach to personality disorders is:

Accepted Answer

The "Big-Five" approach to personality disorders is currently the recipient of recognition, with a great amount of research being done on it. It is considered to be one of the most widely used and researched personality trait models.

Question 14

Although lying, even compulsive lying, is not considered a psychological disorder, it is sometimes characteristic of people with:

Accepted Answer

Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by a sense of entitlement, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. People with this disorder may lie to inflate their sense of self-importance and to maintain their ideal self-image.

Question 15

The authors of DSM-5 have designed their own dimensional approach in diagnosing personality disorders for possible inclusion in future revisions of the DSM. The idea is that individuals whose traits significantly impair their functioning should receive a diagnosis of:

Accepted Answer

The authors of DSM-5 have developed a specific dimensional approach for diagnosing personality disorders, which is called personality disorder-trait specified. This approach focuses on the specific maladaptive personality traits that an individual exhibits, rather than a categorical diagnosis of a specific personality disorder. Individuals whose traits significantly impair their functioning would receive a diagnosis under this approach. Therefore, the best choice is B, personality disorder-trait specified. The other options - psychoticism disorder, negative affectivity disorder, and detachment disorder - are not recognized diagnoses in the DSM-5.

Question 16

"It is obvious that this case of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder arises from an early childhood fixation." Which type of psychologist would MOST likely have made that statement?

Accepted Answer

Psychodynamic psychologists are more likely to explore a person's early childhood experiences and how they may have influenced the development of personality disorders.

Question 17

The five traits to be included in future revisions of the DSM-5 that utilize a dimensional approach in diagnosing personality disorders are:

Accepted Answer

The five traits that have been suggested for inclusion in future revisions of the DSM-5 utilizing a dimensional approach to diagnosing personality disorders are negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism. Option C is the only one that includes all of these traits. Option A includes all but psychoticism, option B includes agreeableness and extroversion which are not among the five traits suggested, and option D includes extroversion and neuroticism which are not among the five traits suggested.

Question 18

"The client scores low on extroversion and agreeableness but high on neuroticism. Looks like schizoid personality disorder to me." The therapist being quoted is using what instrument to make the diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

The therapist is using the "Big Five" personality test, which measures personality traits including extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The client's low score on extroversion and agreeableness and high score on neuroticism are indicative of schizoid personality disorder, which is characterized by social detachment and emotional aloofness.

Question 19

Research has found that borderline personality disorder is more common among:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research has found that borderline personality disorder...

Question 20

Those diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder appear MORE responsive to which kinds of therapy?

Accepted Answer

Psychodynamic and cognitive therapies have been found to be more effective in treating obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on exploring unconscious conflicts and using insight to improve symptoms, while cognitive therapy helps the individual identify and challenge their maladaptive and irrational thoughts and beliefs. Biological and behavioral therapies may also be used in conjunction with psychodynamic and cognitive therapies, but they are not the most effective types of therapy for this disorder.

Quiz 16: Personality Disorders