SAMPLE ADVANCED PLACEMENT
QUESTIONS ON PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Copyright 1994 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. Princeton, NJ 08541

1. When parents refuse to accept several psychologists' diagnosis of a child's mental illness, they are using which of the following defense mechanisms?
denial
displacement
projection
rationalization
regression

2. Distrust of others is symptomatic of...
mania
dementia
catatonia
paranoia
hebephrenia

3. The cognitive theory of depression states that depression results from...
anger directed toward the self and significant others
an excess of certain neurotransmitters in the brain
failure in adult love relationships
maladaptive interpretations of life events
oral fixations from disturbed mother-infant relationships

4. Which of the following is a characteristic common to all individuals with a narcissistic personality disorder?
a domineering attitude toward others
an unwarranted sense of self-importance
restricted ability to express warmth and affection
inability to form social relationships
oversensitivity to rejection or possible humiliation

5. Persistent repetitive thoughts that cannot be controlled are known as...
compulsions
obsessions
phobias
delusions
sublimations

6. Which of the following best characterizes individuals diagnosed as having personality disorders?
they are typically afraid to leave their homes
they are consistently psychotic in their cognition and affect
they may function reasonably well in society
their symptoms are characterized by sudden onset and short duration
they developed their problems as a result of drug abuse

7. Which of the following is typically cited as a characteristic of autistic children?
minor developmental delays in academic achievement
above-average performance on tests of creativity
severely impaired interpersonal communication
tendency to seek younger playmates
paranoia comparable with that experienced in schizophrenia

8. Multiple personality is a type of...
dissociative disorder
schizophrenia
dementia praecox
bipolar disorder
manic-depressive psychosis

9. A somatoform disorder is best described as an illness that...
results from inadequate parenting in childhood
occurs when defense mechanisms are used inappropriately
is psychological in nature with no physical cause
is physical in nature with no psychological cause
is physical in nature and caused by psychological factors

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