abnormal psychology exam 2

A psychodynamic theorist finds that a client is experiencing a battle between anxiety-provoking id impulses and anxiety-reducing ego defense mechanisms. He thinks that in this case this usually unconscious conflict is being played out in an open and obvious manner. He is sure this underlying conflict explains his client's:

obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The type of clinician who would be MOST likely to say, "Tell me about the quality of mutual support you receive from your marriage," is a:

sociocultural clinician.

Which theoretical perspective suggests that the loss of loved ones and self-directed aggression causes suicide?

the psychodynamic perspective

Symptoms of dissociative identity disorder usually begin after episodes of:

trauma or abuse.

_____ is when information is best recalled under the same conditions that it was learned.

State-dependent learning

What proportion of women are the victims of rape at some point during their lives?

1 in 6

Suicidal actions become much more common after the age of _____ than at any earlier age.

13

About what percentage of people who commit suicide use alcohol just before the act?

70 percent

According to Freud, which forces lead a person to attempt or commit suicide?

A real or symbolic loss leads to a defense mechanism called introjection, which in turn leads to suicide as an extreme expression of internalized anger and self-hatred.

_____ are the quiet observers in someone with dissociative identity disorder.

Coconscious subpersonalities

Which statement is the BEST example of a claim that would be made by a developmental psychopathology theorist?

Depression is triggered by many factors that operate together in a developmental sequence.

_____ and brain-circuit dysfunction seem to play a role in suicide separate from depression.

Low serotonin

Which statement is TRUE for women experiencing peripartum depression in relation to psychotherapy for depression?

Many women with peripartum depression find self-help support groups particularly helpful.

One of the nutraceuticals shown to be frequently helpful in treating unipolar depression is:

St. John's wort.

Which statement BEST describes what is known about the relationship between neurotransmitters and unipolar depression?

The interaction between serotonin and norepinephrine is more influential than the activity of each of these neurotransmitters by itself.

Why do many people think that the estimates of the rates of suicide are inaccurate?

The stigma associated with suicide makes people hesitant to report it.

What happens when someone experiences doubling?

They feel as if their mind is floating above them.

What do we know about the inheritance of PTSD?

Women who have high cortisol levels tend to have children with high cortisol levels.

After a couple divorced, you learn that one of them is suffering from depression. It is MOST likely that:

a troubled marriage led to the depression.

What would a person have if a biochemical imbalance were the cause of that person's depression?

an abnormality in the activity of certain neurotransmitters, especially serotonin and norepinephrine

According to Freud, in which stage of development do obsessive-compulsive disorders originate?

anal

People who experience a positive event, get excited, breathe harder, and have an increased heart rate, and subsequently interpret the symptoms as a heart attack, are experiencing what cognitive theorists call:

anxiety sensitivity.

Researchers believe that panic disorder is biologically different from generalized anxiety disorder, based on differences in the:

brain circuitry involved in the two disorders.

The second phase of Beck's cognitive therapy is to get the client to:

challenge automatic thoughts.

According to Shneidman, people who commit suicide with clarity and commitment, yet who believe that they are simply facilitating a process that is already under way, are called:

death initiators.

Piper shot herself by placing the gun barrel in her mouth, in the middle of a dense wood where she knew she wouldn't be heard or found. Piper is an example of what Edwin Shneidman refers to as a:

death seeker.

According to Freud, a generalized anxiety disorder is MOST likely to result when:

defense mechanisms are too weak to cope with anxiety.

Both of Nolan's parents suffered from depression and were generally unresponsive to his needs when he was a child. When Nolan was 9, his house burned down due to an electrical problem, but he blamed himself for the event. As a young adult, Nolan was diagnosed with depression shortly after his divorce. This example illustrates the _____ perspective.

developmental psychopathology

A person constantly weeping is displaying a(n) _____ symptom of depression.

emotional

Which is the BEST example of dissociation as it relates to posttraumatic stress disorder?

feeling dazed or confused

Anna has been struggling with depression and difficult circumstances for the last few years. She no longer believes that life will get better or that there's anything to look forward to. This is called:

hopelessness.

When a dangerous situation is recognized, what brain structure releases neurotransmitters to trigger the firing of neurons and the release of chemicals throughout the body?

hypothalamus

Drew is terrified of the snakes that his 8-year-old son brings home as pets. During his therapy, his therapist demonstrated how to handle snakes. This is a form of therapy based on:

modeling.

Compared with covert exposure therapy for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, virtual reality exposure therapy has been shown to be:

more effective.

Compared with adults who commit suicide, teenagers who commit suicide are:

more impulsive and have poorer problem-solving skills.

Of the anxiety disorders discussed in the text, the disorder with the highest female to male ratio is:

panic disorder.

A person is sweating, experiencing shortness of breath, choking, feeling dizzy, and afraid of dying. Assuming this event is not a heart attack, but rather an indicator of anxiety disorder, it is MOST likely a:

panic attack.

Nicholas has an intense fear of dogs that won't go away. He avoids looking at pictures of dogs, and sometimes he can't even leave the house when neighbors are walking their dogs. This kind of fear would be classified as which kind of disorder?

phobic disorder

When people are confronted with stressors, the hypothalamus signals the _____ gland to release the adrenocorticotropic hormone.

pituitary

According to psychodynamic theory, depression results in part from:

regression to the oral stage.

A common trigger seen in both adolescent suicides and suicides at other age levels is:

significant loss.

Dylan is suffering from arachnophobia. His therapist first has him go through relaxation training, and then has him construct a fear hierarchy. Finally, the therapist has Dylan go through a phase of graded pairings of spiders and relaxation responses. This approach is called:

systematic desensitization.

Which is NOT a behavioral technique used in social skills training?

the exposure technique

In which behavioral technique is the exposure indirect?

the modeling technique

At a workshop about dissociative identity disorder, a therapist says, "In my experience, once integration begins, the need for therapy is practically over; later dissociations just don't happen." This therapist's experience is:

very unusual; most successful therapies last well beyond the beginning of integration.