Abnormal Child Psychology Exam 1
(Chapters 1-5, 14) Exam Prep
What characterizes a personality disorder?
It markedly interferes with adaptive functioning and relating to others, typically evident by early adulthood.
What are the DSM-5-TR clusters of personality disorders?
Cluster A: Odd-Eccentric, Cluster B: Dramatic-Emotional.
What is Paranoid Personality Disorder?
Characterized by pervasive distrust and suspiciousness, interpreting motives as malevolent.
What are the treatment challenges for Schizoid Personality Disorder?
Patients are often unmotivated, requiring increased emotional awareness and improved social skills.
What symptoms are associated with Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
Milder schizophrenia-like symptoms, including social isolation, restricted emotion, and odd behavior.
What defines Antisocial Personality Disorder?
Disregard for the rights of others, characterized by criminal, impulsive, and deceitful behavior.
What are the emotional characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder?
Unstable self-image, emotions, interpersonal relationships, marked impulsivity, and hypersensitivity to
abandonment.
What are the main theories explaining the development of personality disorders?
Cognitive (childhood abuse/neglect/instability), psychoanalytic (failure to differentiate self from others),
neurobiological (brain structure abnormalities), and biological (heritable factors and early abuse linked to
brain changes).
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) used for?
DBT is used to develop a realistic self-sense, adaptive skills, emotion regulation, and to correct
dichotomous thinking.
What are the characteristics of Histrionic Personality Disorder?
Excessive attention-seeking, inappropriate seductiveness, dramatic emotionality, and a tendency to cling
to others due to self-doubt.
,What are the treatment approaches for Histrionic Personality Disorder?
Psychodynamic therapy (to uncover repressed emotions) and cognitive therapy (to promote autonomous
functioning and realistic appraisals).
What defines Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Exaggerated self-importance, lack of empathy, excessive need for admiration, and a tendency to use or
hurt others for personal gain.
What theories explain Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Psychodynamic (maladaptive emotional strategies) and cognitive (unrealistically positive self-assumptions
from overvaluation).
What are the treatment options for Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Cognitive techniques aimed at establishing realistic expectations, sensitivity to others' needs, and
challenging self-aggrandizing thoughts.
What are the characteristics of Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Social inhibition, low self-esteem, severe anxiety in social situations, and a fear of criticism leading to
avoidance.
How does Avoidant Personality Disorder differ from social anxiety disorder?
Individuals with Avoidant Personality Disorder desire social relationships, while those with social anxiety
disorder may not.
What are the treatment methods for Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Cognitive/behavioral therapies including graduated exposure, social skills training, and serotonin reuptake
inhibitors.
What defines Dependent Personality Disorder?
A pervasive belief that one cannot care for oneself, leading to denial of personal needs and enduring
abuse for care.
In the Middle Ages, what was a common explanation for abnormal child behavior?
Possession by the devil or supernatural forces.
What was the key shift in the Enlightenment regarding children?
They were viewed as needing protection and education, not miniature adults.
Who exposed the mistreatment of the mentally ill in U.S. institutions in the 1800s?
,Dorothea Dix.
What was 'moral insanity'?
Behavioral/emotional disturbance without intellectual disability.
Who developed the first psychiatric classification system?
Emil Kraepelin.
Who pioneered psychoanalysis and emphasized psychogenesis?
Sigmund Freud.
Who ran the Little Albert experiment on fear conditioning?
John B. Watson.
Who developed psychosocial stages like 'identity vs role confusion'?
Erik Erikson.
Who founded the first child psychology clinic in the U.S.?
Lightner Witmer.
Who created the Strange Situation to study attachment?
Mary Ainsworth.
Who proposed attachment theory emphasizing caregiver bonds?
John Bowlby.
Who developed cognitive developmental theory with stages of thought?
Jean Piaget.
Who emphasized psychosocial development across the lifespan?
Erik Erikson.
Who argued psychiatric diagnoses were socially constructed?
Thomas Szasz.
Who led reforms in France for humane treatment of the mentally ill?
Philippe Pinel.
, What is equifinality?
Different causes leading to the same outcome.
Give an example of equifinality in child disorders.
Trauma, poverty, or genetics all lead to depression.
What is multifinality?
One cause leading to multiple possible outcomes.
Give an example of multifinality in maltreatment.
Child abuse may lead to aggression, depression, or resilience.
What is resilience?
Positive adaptation despite adversity.
Why is resilience considered dynamic?
It changes depending on development and context.
What is a protective factor?
Something that reduces the impact of risk, e.g., supportive parents.
What is a risk factor?
Something that increases likelihood of a disorder, e.g., poverty.
What is a developmental cascade?
Early problems spill into new areas, creating later difficulties.
What is homotypic continuity?
The same problem persists over time.
What is heterotypic continuity?
The problem changes form with age.
What is a mediator variable?
Explains how one variable influences another.
What is a moderator variable?
Changes the strength/direction of a relationship.
(Chapters 1-5, 14) Exam Prep
What characterizes a personality disorder?
It markedly interferes with adaptive functioning and relating to others, typically evident by early adulthood.
What are the DSM-5-TR clusters of personality disorders?
Cluster A: Odd-Eccentric, Cluster B: Dramatic-Emotional.
What is Paranoid Personality Disorder?
Characterized by pervasive distrust and suspiciousness, interpreting motives as malevolent.
What are the treatment challenges for Schizoid Personality Disorder?
Patients are often unmotivated, requiring increased emotional awareness and improved social skills.
What symptoms are associated with Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
Milder schizophrenia-like symptoms, including social isolation, restricted emotion, and odd behavior.
What defines Antisocial Personality Disorder?
Disregard for the rights of others, characterized by criminal, impulsive, and deceitful behavior.
What are the emotional characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder?
Unstable self-image, emotions, interpersonal relationships, marked impulsivity, and hypersensitivity to
abandonment.
What are the main theories explaining the development of personality disorders?
Cognitive (childhood abuse/neglect/instability), psychoanalytic (failure to differentiate self from others),
neurobiological (brain structure abnormalities), and biological (heritable factors and early abuse linked to
brain changes).
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) used for?
DBT is used to develop a realistic self-sense, adaptive skills, emotion regulation, and to correct
dichotomous thinking.
What are the characteristics of Histrionic Personality Disorder?
Excessive attention-seeking, inappropriate seductiveness, dramatic emotionality, and a tendency to cling
to others due to self-doubt.
,What are the treatment approaches for Histrionic Personality Disorder?
Psychodynamic therapy (to uncover repressed emotions) and cognitive therapy (to promote autonomous
functioning and realistic appraisals).
What defines Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Exaggerated self-importance, lack of empathy, excessive need for admiration, and a tendency to use or
hurt others for personal gain.
What theories explain Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Psychodynamic (maladaptive emotional strategies) and cognitive (unrealistically positive self-assumptions
from overvaluation).
What are the treatment options for Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Cognitive techniques aimed at establishing realistic expectations, sensitivity to others' needs, and
challenging self-aggrandizing thoughts.
What are the characteristics of Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Social inhibition, low self-esteem, severe anxiety in social situations, and a fear of criticism leading to
avoidance.
How does Avoidant Personality Disorder differ from social anxiety disorder?
Individuals with Avoidant Personality Disorder desire social relationships, while those with social anxiety
disorder may not.
What are the treatment methods for Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Cognitive/behavioral therapies including graduated exposure, social skills training, and serotonin reuptake
inhibitors.
What defines Dependent Personality Disorder?
A pervasive belief that one cannot care for oneself, leading to denial of personal needs and enduring
abuse for care.
In the Middle Ages, what was a common explanation for abnormal child behavior?
Possession by the devil or supernatural forces.
What was the key shift in the Enlightenment regarding children?
They were viewed as needing protection and education, not miniature adults.
Who exposed the mistreatment of the mentally ill in U.S. institutions in the 1800s?
,Dorothea Dix.
What was 'moral insanity'?
Behavioral/emotional disturbance without intellectual disability.
Who developed the first psychiatric classification system?
Emil Kraepelin.
Who pioneered psychoanalysis and emphasized psychogenesis?
Sigmund Freud.
Who ran the Little Albert experiment on fear conditioning?
John B. Watson.
Who developed psychosocial stages like 'identity vs role confusion'?
Erik Erikson.
Who founded the first child psychology clinic in the U.S.?
Lightner Witmer.
Who created the Strange Situation to study attachment?
Mary Ainsworth.
Who proposed attachment theory emphasizing caregiver bonds?
John Bowlby.
Who developed cognitive developmental theory with stages of thought?
Jean Piaget.
Who emphasized psychosocial development across the lifespan?
Erik Erikson.
Who argued psychiatric diagnoses were socially constructed?
Thomas Szasz.
Who led reforms in France for humane treatment of the mentally ill?
Philippe Pinel.
, What is equifinality?
Different causes leading to the same outcome.
Give an example of equifinality in child disorders.
Trauma, poverty, or genetics all lead to depression.
What is multifinality?
One cause leading to multiple possible outcomes.
Give an example of multifinality in maltreatment.
Child abuse may lead to aggression, depression, or resilience.
What is resilience?
Positive adaptation despite adversity.
Why is resilience considered dynamic?
It changes depending on development and context.
What is a protective factor?
Something that reduces the impact of risk, e.g., supportive parents.
What is a risk factor?
Something that increases likelihood of a disorder, e.g., poverty.
What is a developmental cascade?
Early problems spill into new areas, creating later difficulties.
What is homotypic continuity?
The same problem persists over time.
What is heterotypic continuity?
The problem changes form with age.
What is a mediator variable?
Explains how one variable influences another.
What is a moderator variable?
Changes the strength/direction of a relationship.
