PSY 255 CERTIFICATION EVALUATION SET
2026 PRACTICE QUESTIONS SOLUTIONS
VERIFIED
● Dysfunction. Answer: A disruption of a person's ability to live their
live productively or in a way that impairs relationships, ability to think
clearly, communicate with others, hold a job, or deal with stressful
events
● Psychopathology. Answer: Study of psychological disorders, including
their symptoms, etiology, and treatment; can also refer to manifestation
of psychological disorder
● Etiology. Answer: The causal description of all of the factors that
contribute to the development of a disorder or illness
● According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2013), a
psychological disorder is a condition that is said to consist of the
following:. Answer: -There are significant disturbances in thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors.
-The disturbances reflect some kind of biological, psychological, or
developmental dysfunction.
-The disturbances lead to significant distress or disability in one's life.
,-The disturbances do not reflect expected or culturally approved
responses to certain events.
● Jackie frequently talks to herself while she is working on her math
homework. Her roommate sometimes hears her and wonders if she is
okay.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
-Probably no disorder. Answer: Need more information
● Harriet gets depressed during the winter months when the light is low.
She sometimes stays in her pajamas for the whole weekend, eating
chocolate and watching TV. She usually gains weight during this time,
but she still manages to take care of her schoolwork during this time.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
-Probably no disorder. Answer: Probably no disorder
● Charlie believes that the noises made by cars and planes going by
outside his house have secret meanings. He is convinced that he was
involved in the start of a nuclear war and that the only way for him to
survive is to find the answer to a difficult riddle.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
,-Probably no disorder. Answer: Need more information
● Frank seems to be afraid of a lot of things. He worries about driving
on the highway and about severe weather that may come through his
neighborhood. But mostly he fears mice, checking under his bed
frequently to see if any are present.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
-Probably no disorder. Answer: Need more information
● A psychological disorder encompasses all of the behaviors below
except:
-Dysfunctional patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that cause
significant distress
-Culturally appropriate behavior that doesn't cause distress or impair
normal functioning
-Behavior that is considered deviant in a person's culture or society
-Impairment of a person's normal functioning. Answer: Culturally
appropriate behavior that doesn't cause distress or impair normal
functioning
● Patterns of inner experience and behavior are thought to reflect the
presence of a psychological disorder if they ________.
-lead to significant distress and impairment in one's life
, -are highly atypical
-embarrass one's friends and/or family
-violate the norms of one's culture. Answer: lead to significant distress
and impairment in one's life
● Psychopathic behavior. Answer: AKA antisocial behavior,
characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and
remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits
● Stigma. Answer: Prejudicial attitudes and discrimination against those
who experience mental disorders
● What are the three general theories of the etiology of mental illness?.
Answer: -Supernatural
-Somatogenic
-Psychogenic
● Supernatural theories. Answer: Attribute mental illnesses to possession
by evil or demonic spirits, displeasure of gods, eclipses, planetary
gravitation, curses, and sin
● Somatogenic theories. Answer: Identify disturbances in psychical
functioning resulting from either illness, genetic inheritance, brain
damage, or imbalance
2026 PRACTICE QUESTIONS SOLUTIONS
VERIFIED
● Dysfunction. Answer: A disruption of a person's ability to live their
live productively or in a way that impairs relationships, ability to think
clearly, communicate with others, hold a job, or deal with stressful
events
● Psychopathology. Answer: Study of psychological disorders, including
their symptoms, etiology, and treatment; can also refer to manifestation
of psychological disorder
● Etiology. Answer: The causal description of all of the factors that
contribute to the development of a disorder or illness
● According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2013), a
psychological disorder is a condition that is said to consist of the
following:. Answer: -There are significant disturbances in thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors.
-The disturbances reflect some kind of biological, psychological, or
developmental dysfunction.
-The disturbances lead to significant distress or disability in one's life.
,-The disturbances do not reflect expected or culturally approved
responses to certain events.
● Jackie frequently talks to herself while she is working on her math
homework. Her roommate sometimes hears her and wonders if she is
okay.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
-Probably no disorder. Answer: Need more information
● Harriet gets depressed during the winter months when the light is low.
She sometimes stays in her pajamas for the whole weekend, eating
chocolate and watching TV. She usually gains weight during this time,
but she still manages to take care of her schoolwork during this time.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
-Probably no disorder. Answer: Probably no disorder
● Charlie believes that the noises made by cars and planes going by
outside his house have secret meanings. He is convinced that he was
involved in the start of a nuclear war and that the only way for him to
survive is to find the answer to a difficult riddle.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
,-Probably no disorder. Answer: Need more information
● Frank seems to be afraid of a lot of things. He worries about driving
on the highway and about severe weather that may come through his
neighborhood. But mostly he fears mice, checking under his bed
frequently to see if any are present.
-Probably disorder
-Need more information
-Probably no disorder. Answer: Need more information
● A psychological disorder encompasses all of the behaviors below
except:
-Dysfunctional patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that cause
significant distress
-Culturally appropriate behavior that doesn't cause distress or impair
normal functioning
-Behavior that is considered deviant in a person's culture or society
-Impairment of a person's normal functioning. Answer: Culturally
appropriate behavior that doesn't cause distress or impair normal
functioning
● Patterns of inner experience and behavior are thought to reflect the
presence of a psychological disorder if they ________.
-lead to significant distress and impairment in one's life
, -are highly atypical
-embarrass one's friends and/or family
-violate the norms of one's culture. Answer: lead to significant distress
and impairment in one's life
● Psychopathic behavior. Answer: AKA antisocial behavior,
characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and
remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits
● Stigma. Answer: Prejudicial attitudes and discrimination against those
who experience mental disorders
● What are the three general theories of the etiology of mental illness?.
Answer: -Supernatural
-Somatogenic
-Psychogenic
● Supernatural theories. Answer: Attribute mental illnesses to possession
by evil or demonic spirits, displeasure of gods, eclipses, planetary
gravitation, curses, and sin
● Somatogenic theories. Answer: Identify disturbances in psychical
functioning resulting from either illness, genetic inheritance, brain
damage, or imbalance
