Psychology Degree Abnormal Psychology and DSM 5 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client with Somatic Symptom Disorder differs from a client with Illness Anxiety Disorder primarily in that the former:
- Has no actual physical symptoms
- Has significant physical symptoms with excessive thoughts and behaviors about them (Correct answer)
- Feigns illness for external gain
- Has symptoms caused by a neurological condition
Correct answer: Has significant physical symptoms with excessive thoughts and behaviors about them
Somatic Symptom Disorder involves distressing physical symptoms WITH excessive health-related thoughts/anxiety/behaviors, whereas Illness Anxiety Disorder involves high health anxiety with minimal or no somatic symptoms.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of the 'labeling theory' perspective on abnormal behavior?
- Genetic predisposition activates under environmental stress
- Being diagnosed with a mental illness increases stigma and alters self-perception, perpetuating abnormal behavior (Correct answer)
- Abnormal behavior results from unconscious conflicts
- Maladaptive cognitions drive emotional disturbance
Correct answer: Being diagnosed with a mental illness increases stigma and alters self-perception, perpetuating abnormal behavior
Labeling theory (Scheff, Szasz) posits that the social label of 'mental illness' itself can perpetuate deviance by shaping how others treat the labeled person and how that person views themselves.
Question 3: A child repeatedly violates the rights of others, bullies peers, and has set fires. These behaviors have persisted for 14 months. The most likely DSM-5 diagnosis is:
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Intermittent Explosive Disorder
- Conduct Disorder (Correct answer)
- Antisocial Personality Disorder
Correct answer: Conduct Disorder
Conduct Disorder involves a repetitive pattern of behavior violating others' basic rights or major societal rules, including aggression, property destruction, and rule violations, lasting at least 12 months.
Question 4: The 'two-factor theory' of fear acquisition (Mowrer, 1947) involves which two processes?
- Operant conditioning and cognitive restructuring
- Classical conditioning and operant conditioning (Correct answer)
- Observational learning and habituation
- Sensitization and extinction
Correct answer: Classical conditioning and operant conditioning
Mowrer's two-factor theory proposes that fear is acquired through classical conditioning (CS-US pairing) and maintained through operant conditioning (avoidance reduces fear, negatively reinforcing the avoidance behavior).
Question 5: In DSM-5, Gender Dysphoria requires marked incongruence between experienced gender and assigned gender for at least:
- 1 month
- 3 months
- 6 months (Correct answer)
- 1 year
Correct answer: 6 months
DSM-5 requires that the marked incongruence between experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, along with associated distress/impairment, persist for at least 6 months.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'expressed emotion' (EE) as a predictor of relapse in schizophrenia?
- The patient's ability to express their emotional experiences to the treatment team
- The level of criticism, hostility, and emotional overinvolvement in family interactions (Correct answer)
- The intensity of hallucinations and emotional content within delusions
- A patient's insight into their emotional dysregulation
Correct answer: The level of criticism, hostility, and emotional overinvolvement in family interactions
High expressed emotionācharacterized by family members' critical comments, hostility, and emotional overinvolvementāis a robust predictor of relapse in schizophrenia and other disorders.
Question 7: The DSM-5 'with psychotic features' specifier can be applied to which mood disorder episodes?
- Only manic episodes in Bipolar I Disorder
- Only Major Depressive Episodes
- Both Major Depressive Episodes and Manic/Mixed Episodes (Correct answer)
- Only hypomanic episodes in Bipolar II Disorder
Correct answer: Both Major Depressive Episodes and Manic/Mixed Episodes
The 'with psychotic features' specifier can be applied to both Major Depressive Episodes and Manic Episodes (not hypomanic episodes, as hypomania by definition excludes psychosis).
Psychology Degree Abnormal Psychology and DSM 5
A client with Somatic Symptom Disorder differs from a client with Illness Anxiety Disorder primarily in that the former: