CLPS 1700 - Chapter 13

Question 1

What is a personality disorder?

Answer 1

A psychological disorder characterized by a pattern of inflexible and maladaptive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

Question 2

List the criteria of personality disorders.

Answer 2

Pattern of inner experience/behavior that deviates markedly from the cultural expectations in cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, and/or impulse control, which is inflexible and pervasive; leads to clinically significant stress/impairment; stable and long-lasting pattern, onset traced back to early adulthood or adolescence; not a manifestation of another disorder; not due to direct physiological effects, like head trauma (569)

Question 3

Can personality disorder symptoms ever decrease over time?

Answer 3

Yes, usually later in life (370)

Question 4

What is the main distinction between Axis I and Axis II disorders?

Answer 4

In Axis II, the patients don’t care about/notice their symptoms: they’re egosyntonic

Question 5

Cluster A personality disorders

Answer 5

Odd/eccentric: paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal

Question 6

Cluster B personality disorders

Answer 6

Dramatic/erratic: borderline, antisocial, histrionic, narcissistic

Question 7

Cluster C personality disorders:

Answer 7

Fear/Anxiety: avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive

Question 8

What level of comorbidity is there among personality disorders?

Answer 8

High

Question 9

What is the most important neurological factor associated with personality disorders?

Answer 9

Genetics: influence temperament, which plays a major role in personality disorders (574)

Question 10

What two psychological factors contribute significantly to personality disorders?

Answer 10

Temperament and operant conditioning

Question 11

Cloninger’s four basic temperaments

Answer 11

Harm avoidance, novelty seeking, reward dependence, persistence

Question 12

Cloninger’s three character dimensions

Answer 12

Cooperativeness, self-directedness, self-transcendence

Question 13

What is the relationship between most personality disorders and Cloninger’s three character dimensions?

Answer 13

Usually low levels of all three: cooperativeness, self-directedness, self-transcendence

Question 14

According to Beck, 2001,4, what are the three elements of dysfunctional beliefs in PDs?

Answer 14

Automatic thoughts (no one should have to put up with me because I’m horrible), interpersonal strategies (if I cry he’ll forgive me), and cognitive distortions (when he says this, he really means that)

Question 15

What is one social factor that can influence development of PDs?

Answer 15

Attachment styles: if no secure attachment, higher risk for PDs

Question 16

When are people with Axis II disorders likely to seek treatment?

Answer 16

Usually only when they’re struggling with an Axis I disorder

Question 17

What does psychodynamic theory address?

Answer 17

unconscious drives and motivations (579)

Question 18

What does CBT address?

Answer 18

maladaptive views of self and others and negative beliefs that give rise to problematic feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of the PD (579)

Question 19

What is a difference between people with paranoid PD and paranoid schizophrenia?

Answer 19

People with PPD can better evaluate whether their suspicions are based on reality or not, and they’re often suspicious of known individuals rather than strangers or radio waves, etc. (582)

Question 20

What is schizoid PD?

Answer 20

Characterized by restricted emotional range in social interactions, few/no close relationships, lack initiative, appear affectless (583-4)

Question 21

What is schizotypal PD?

Answer 21

Characterized by eccentric thoughts, perceptions, behaviors, few/no close relationships (585)

Question 22

Ideas of reference are a milder form of what?

Answer 22

Delusions (585)

Question 23

What factor plays a role in all Cluster A PDs?

Answer 23

Genes: higher schizotypal rate among families with schizophrenia (588)

Question 24

What kinds of cognitive deficits are exhibited in Cluster A PD patients?

Answer 24

Deficits in attention, memory, and executive function (588)

Question 25

What is antisocial PD?

Answer 25

Persistent disregard for the rights of other (592)

Question 26

What is the "youngster" version of antisocial PD?

Answer 26

Conduct disorder: if under 18yo (593)

Question 27

What is the distinction between antisocial PD and psychopathy?

Answer 27

Antisocial PD focuses more on the behaviors, whereas psychopathy focuses more on specific emotional and interpersonal characteristics (595)

Question 28

What neurological factors contribute to antisocial PD?

Answer 28

Abnormally small frontal lobes and hippocampi (595)

Question 29

What kind of genes is antisocial PD linked to?

Answer 29

Dopamine and serotonin regulatory genes (596)

Question 30

What is the temperament profile of antisocial PDs?

Answer 30

High reward dependence, low harm avoidance, low persistence (596)

Question 31

What are the characteristics of BPD?

Answer 31

Volatile emotions, unstable self-image, impulsive relationship behavior (599)

Question 32

What neurological factors contribute to BPD?

Answer 32

Abnormally small frontal lobes, hippocampi, and amygdalae (602)

Question 33

What brain structure controls affect?

Answer 33

An anterior cingulate cortex (603)

Question 34

What is the interaction between frontal lobe and amygdala in patients with BPD?

Answer 34

The smaller frontal lobes are not sufficient in controlling the overactive amygdala, which leads to more fear when viewing faces with negative expressions, triggering overemotional reactions (603)

Question 35

What neurotransmitter is found in low levels in BPD patients?

Answer 35

Serotonin, especially since it inhibits impulsiveness (603)

Question 36

What social factor often leads to fear of abandonment in patients with BPD?

Answer 36

Invalidating responses (604)

Question 37

What is DBT?

Answer 37

Dialectical behavior therapy: bringing the patient to accept the situation and aspects of the situation that they feel they can't change, while recognizing that to feel better there must be change (606)

Question 38

What are the three components of Linehan's DBT?

Answer 38

Emphasis on validation of the patient's experience, Zen Buddhist "letting go," and dialetics (synthesis of opposing elements) (606)

Question 39

What are the different desires of patients with APD, BPC, and HPD?

Answer 39

For power or material gain, for nurturance, or for attention, respectively (609)

Question 40

What non-Axis II disorder is avoidance PD associated with?

Answer 40

Social phobia (614)

Question 41

How does one distinguish between avoidant PD and social phobia?

Answer 41

The criteria for avoidant PD are broader than those for social phobia, and avoidant PD is more focused on a pervasive sense of inadequacy/inferiority/reluctance to take risks (615)

Question 42

What is the difference in focus between avoidant and dependent PD?

Answer 42

Focus on social ineptitude vs focus on feeling incapable of taking care of oneself (616)

Question 43

How does one differentiate between OCD and OCPD?

Answer 43

OCPD lacks real obsessions/compulsions and has more preoccupation with details (618)