psychology multiple choice

Question

Use the following response options for Cases 6-11:

A.    Dependent Personality Disorder (PD)

B.    Schizoid PD

C.   Histrionic PD

D.   Antisocial PD

E.    Avoidant PD

F.    Schizotypal PD

G.   Borderline PD

H.   Obsessive-compulsive PD

I.      Paranoid PD

J.     Narcissistic PD

6.  Your client is a 40-year-old construction worker who believes that his coworkers do not like him and fears that someone might meddle with the scaffolding to cause him injury on the job. This concern became stronger following a recent disagreement in the lunch line when the client felt that a coworker was sneaking ahead and complained to him. He began noticing his new “enemy” laughing with the other workers and often suspected they were laughing at him.  

     During your interview with him, the client offers little spontaneous information, sits tensely in the chair, is wide-eyed and carefully tracks all movement in the room. He reads between the lines of your questions, feels criticized, and believes that you are siding with his coworkers. ____

7.  Your client is a 32-year-old, unemployed woman who complains that she feels “spacey.” She sometimes senses spirits around her and can hear them murmuring her name. She claims that she has always had a 6^th sense and is able to read people’s minds. She is preoccupied by the thought that she has some special mission in life, but she is not sure what it is. She believes that sometimes God tries to communicate with her through radio broadcasts. She does not have any close relationships, and tends to feel anxious around others and question the motives of the people she interacts with. 

     During your interview with her, the client speaks in a vague, abstract digressive manner, sometimes just missing the point or using unusual words, but never completely incoherent. ____

8. Your client is a 28-year-old, single graduate student who complains of difficulty completing his PhD in English literature. He believes that his thesis topic will profoundly increase the level of understanding in his discipline and make him famous, but so far he has not been able to get past the opening chapter. His mentor does not seem sufficiently impressed with his ideas, and the client is furious at him. He blames his mentor for the lack of progress and thinks he deserves more help with his grand idea. The client brags about his creativity and complains that other people are jealous of his insight. He has many “friends,” but they turn over quickly, and no one relationship has lasted very long. For example, he was lonely at Christmastime and insisted that his best friend stay in town rather than visit his family. The friend’s refusal enraged the client, leading him to cut off all ties with the friend. ____

9.  Your client is a 22-year-old receptionist who has caused numerous problems for her supervisor. Based on the supervisor’s report, the client is a constant distraction to others, often drawing her co-workers away from their desks to hear animated stories about her past adventures. Your client is always meticulously groomed, with perfectly manicured nails and not a hair out of place. She wears only the trendiest clothing, but typically choses outfits that are not work-appropriate, such as short skirts, low-cut tops, and extremely high heels. Her supervisor reports that she is flirtatious and sometimes even sexually aggressive toward men in the office. As an employee, she requires constant oversight. She overreacts to minor events and job pressures with irritability and temper tantrums. Her supervisor tried speaking with her on a number of occasions about her job performance, but every time she would interrupt and flee his office in tears, taking a detour through the center of the office en route to the bathroom. ____

10. A 26-year-old, unemployed woman was referred to you for psychological evaluation upon admission to a hospital because of a suicide attempt and reported urges to mutilate herself with a razor. By her family’s report, the client seemed well until her junior year of high school, when she became filled with doubt about who she was and preoccupied with religion. In college, she began to use a variety of drugs and idolized a charismatic religious figure. She experienced chronic feelings of emptiness and exhibited a low frustration tolerance. At times, massive anxiety swept over her and she found it would vanish if she cut her forearm with a razor. She hated to be alone, but had a history of intense, stormy relationships. 

Three years ago, she began psychotherapy at the insistence of her family, and initially idealized her therapist as being incredibly intuitive and empathetic. Later she became hostile and demanding of him, requesting more and more sessions, sometimes two in a day, and even calling his home phone line on several occasions. Eventually, the therapist had to take out a restraining order on her and refer her to another psychologist (you). ____

11. Your client is a 35-year-old librarian who has lived a relatively isolated life. He has few acquaintances and no close personal friends. From childhood on, he has been very shy and has withdrawn from close ties with others to keep from being hurt or criticized. Two years before he entered therapy, he had a date to go to a party with an acquaintance he met at the library. The moment they arrived at the party, the client felt extremely uncomfortable because he felt as though he was not “dressed properly.” He left in a hurry and refused to see the acquaintance again. It was because of his continuing concern over the incident that, 2 years later, he decided to seek your help, even though he dreaded the possibility that you would be critical of him during the therapy sessions. ____

Answer 1

6. I

7. F

8. J

9. C

10. A

11. E