Personality Disorders: 50 Exam Questions and Study Guide
Below you will find short explanations of each PD (according to the DSM-5), famous examples to help you
memories and 50 exam questions to prepare you for your exam. The answer key is at the end.
Suggestion: go over the DSM-5 criteria first, use the memory aid below to memorize, and complete the
test below to practice. Good luck!
🧠 Short Explanations + Famous Examples (Memory Aid)
Cluster A: Odd / Eccentric
1. Paranoid PD – Distrust and suspicion of others; interprets others’ motives as
🧍♂️
malevolent.
Famous example: Richard Nixon – known for extreme suspicion and secrecy. Or
Stalin.
🎨
2. Schizoid PD – Detachment from social relationships, limited emotional expression.
Example: Greta Garbo – “I want to be alone” persona. Or Dexter.
3. Schizotypal PD – Eccentric behavior, magical thinking, social anxiety, and cognitive
🧙
distortions.
Example: Willy Wonka (fictional) – odd dress, speech, and beliefs.
Cluster B: Dramatic / Emotional / Erratic
4. Antisocial PD – Disregard for and violation of the rights of others, deceitful, impulsive,
🦹
lack of remorse.
Example: Ted Bundy – charming, manipulative, remorseless.
5. Borderline PD – Instability in relationships, self-image, and affect; impulsivity and fear of
💔
abandonment.
Example: Amy Winehouse – emotional volatility and self-destructive patterns.
🎭
6. Histrionic PD – Excessive emotionality and attention seeking; easily influenced.
Example: Marilyn Monroe – flirtatious, dramatic, needing admiration. Or Megan Fox,
Kim Kardashian.
👑
7. Narcissistic PD – Grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy; fragile self-esteem.
Example: Kanye West – inflated self-importance, sensitivity to criticism.
Cluster C: Anxious / Fearful
🙈
8. Avoidant PD – Social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to criticism.
Example: Michael Jackson – shy, isolated despite fame.
9. Dependent PD – Excessive need to be cared for, submissive, clingy behavior, fear of
🤝
separation.
Example: Buster Bluth (Arrested Development) – helpless without others.
10.Obsessive-Compulsive PD (OCPD) – Preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism,
📋
control at expense of flexibility.
Example: Steve Jobs – perfectionistic and controlling tendencies.
, 50 Multiple-Choice Questions
1. A 35-year-old man avoids close relationships because he believes others will eventually
betray him. He often misinterprets casual remarks as insults. Which PD fits best?
A) Schizoid
B) Paranoid
C) Schizotypal
D) Avoidant
2. Which PD is most associated with interpreting neutral events as having personal
meaning (“ideas of reference”)?
A) Schizoid
B) Paranoid
C) Schizotypal
D) Avoidant
3. A woman prefers solitary activities, shows little interest in sex, and seems indifferent to
praise or criticism. Which PD is likely?
A) Avoidant
B) Schizoid
C) Paranoid
D) Narcissistic
4. Which of the following features distinguishes schizotypal PD from schizoid PD?
A) Detachment from social relationships
B) Magical thinking and perceptual distortions
C) Lack of emotional expression
D) Preference for solitude
5. Paranoid PD differs from delusional disorder primarily because:
A) Paranoid PD involves fixed, bizarre delusions
B) Delusional disorder has transient paranoid thoughts
C) Paranoid PD lacks persistent psychotic symptoms
D) Delusional disorder lacks mistrust of others
6. A child with poor peer relationships, underachievement, and peculiar language develops
into an adult with eccentric behavior and odd beliefs. Likely PD?
A) Schizotypal
B) Borderline
Below you will find short explanations of each PD (according to the DSM-5), famous examples to help you
memories and 50 exam questions to prepare you for your exam. The answer key is at the end.
Suggestion: go over the DSM-5 criteria first, use the memory aid below to memorize, and complete the
test below to practice. Good luck!
🧠 Short Explanations + Famous Examples (Memory Aid)
Cluster A: Odd / Eccentric
1. Paranoid PD – Distrust and suspicion of others; interprets others’ motives as
🧍♂️
malevolent.
Famous example: Richard Nixon – known for extreme suspicion and secrecy. Or
Stalin.
🎨
2. Schizoid PD – Detachment from social relationships, limited emotional expression.
Example: Greta Garbo – “I want to be alone” persona. Or Dexter.
3. Schizotypal PD – Eccentric behavior, magical thinking, social anxiety, and cognitive
🧙
distortions.
Example: Willy Wonka (fictional) – odd dress, speech, and beliefs.
Cluster B: Dramatic / Emotional / Erratic
4. Antisocial PD – Disregard for and violation of the rights of others, deceitful, impulsive,
🦹
lack of remorse.
Example: Ted Bundy – charming, manipulative, remorseless.
5. Borderline PD – Instability in relationships, self-image, and affect; impulsivity and fear of
💔
abandonment.
Example: Amy Winehouse – emotional volatility and self-destructive patterns.
🎭
6. Histrionic PD – Excessive emotionality and attention seeking; easily influenced.
Example: Marilyn Monroe – flirtatious, dramatic, needing admiration. Or Megan Fox,
Kim Kardashian.
👑
7. Narcissistic PD – Grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy; fragile self-esteem.
Example: Kanye West – inflated self-importance, sensitivity to criticism.
Cluster C: Anxious / Fearful
🙈
8. Avoidant PD – Social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to criticism.
Example: Michael Jackson – shy, isolated despite fame.
9. Dependent PD – Excessive need to be cared for, submissive, clingy behavior, fear of
🤝
separation.
Example: Buster Bluth (Arrested Development) – helpless without others.
10.Obsessive-Compulsive PD (OCPD) – Preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism,
📋
control at expense of flexibility.
Example: Steve Jobs – perfectionistic and controlling tendencies.
, 50 Multiple-Choice Questions
1. A 35-year-old man avoids close relationships because he believes others will eventually
betray him. He often misinterprets casual remarks as insults. Which PD fits best?
A) Schizoid
B) Paranoid
C) Schizotypal
D) Avoidant
2. Which PD is most associated with interpreting neutral events as having personal
meaning (“ideas of reference”)?
A) Schizoid
B) Paranoid
C) Schizotypal
D) Avoidant
3. A woman prefers solitary activities, shows little interest in sex, and seems indifferent to
praise or criticism. Which PD is likely?
A) Avoidant
B) Schizoid
C) Paranoid
D) Narcissistic
4. Which of the following features distinguishes schizotypal PD from schizoid PD?
A) Detachment from social relationships
B) Magical thinking and perceptual distortions
C) Lack of emotional expression
D) Preference for solitude
5. Paranoid PD differs from delusional disorder primarily because:
A) Paranoid PD involves fixed, bizarre delusions
B) Delusional disorder has transient paranoid thoughts
C) Paranoid PD lacks persistent psychotic symptoms
D) Delusional disorder lacks mistrust of others
6. A child with poor peer relationships, underachievement, and peculiar language develops
into an adult with eccentric behavior and odd beliefs. Likely PD?
A) Schizotypal
B) Borderline
