Psychology (85 Questions)

Questions (1-10)

1- What are psychological Disorders?

2- Why is the diagnosis of a psychological disorder of feelings, thoughts and behaviors always difficult?

3- How do people identify a normal from an abnormal behavior? Is that equation correct?

4- How do people with psychological disorders differ from normal people? Give Examples.

5- What are the 4 criteria that indicate the presence of a psychological disorder?

6- Are Scientific and artistic geniuses typical of other people? Are they abnormal?

7- What is a maladaptivity? Or what is a maladaptive behavior?

8- Give examples for maladaptive behaviors.

9- Why is alcohol abuse considered as maladaptive behavior?

10- Why are people who commit crimes considered free from psychological disorders?

Answers (1-10)

• 1. Psychological Disorders are behavior patterns or mental processes that cause suffering and inability to cope with everyday life.

• 2. Because it is based on different Criteria

• 3. What is normal is equated with what the majority do. Therefore deviation from the majority is the abnormality. No, it isn’t correct Equation.

• 4. People with psychological abnormalities do not differ much from normal people but they differ only in exaggeration of certain behaviors and mental processes.

• 5. Typicality (how much the behavior or the mental process is close to those of the average majority and this would be considered normal) / Maladaptivity (a change in behavior or mental processes that leads to tor inability to proceed with the normal functions that a person used to do before) / Emotional Discomfort (It is a bad feelings that stops a person's life and stop him from enjoying it or feeling happy.)/ Socially unacceptable behavior (depends basically on the cultural text or background of the society)

• 6. No, because if the behavior or the mental process is away from the majority, does not mean that the person is abnormal

• 7. It means a change in behavior or mental processes that leads to tor inability to proceed with the normal functions that a person used to do before

• 8. Drug and alcohol addiction, stress , depression

• 9. Because it is often has strong Negative effects that affects the drinkers health, work, and family

• 10. Because criminals knows his actions are illegally and he is full aware of it

Questions (11-20)

• 11- Are people with psychological disorders violent and dangerous?

• 12- What are the psychological disorders that cause emotional discomfort?

• 13- What are the cardinal symptoms of depression?

• 14- What kind of a behavior is considered socially unacceptable?

• 15- What is the main factor that decides whether the behavior is socially acceptable or not?

• 16- What are culture – Bound syndromes? (Clusters of symptoms that are considered as normal consequences of possession of the body by an evil spirit while in other cultures, it is diagnosed as a psychological disorder and even believing in it is considered a superstition and a psychological disease in itself)

• 17- List the culture- Bound syndromes.

• 18- What are the signs of Latah?

• 19- What are the signs of Zara?

• 20- What are the signs of Ghost Sickness?

Answers (1-10)

11. No, Even those who have severe disorder are not violent 12. It is when feelings of sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, and withdrawal predominate a person's life and stop him from enjoying it or feeling happy.

13. A behavior may be well accepted as normal by the average majority of a culture according to its own beliefs but considered as a psychological abnormality according to another culture's beliefs14. It depends basically on the cultural text or background of the society15. It means a group of symptoms diagnostic of a psychological disorder by a psychologist whereas people of that culture give it a different interpretation according to their own cultural beliefs and will never admit that it is a psychological disorder.16. Latah , Zar, Ghost Sickness, Hwa Bung , Susto, Mal de ojo17. Hypersensitivity to sudden fright often with nonsense mimicking of others18. Shouting, laughing, head banging are thought to be due to possession of spirit 19. Bad dreams, hallucination, Fainting, believed to be preoccupation with death20. Panic / Depression believed to be due to the suppression of anger

Questions (21-30)

• 21- What are the signs of Haw- Byung?• 22- What are the signs of Susto?• 23- What are the signs of “Mal de Ojo “?• 24- What is anxiety?• 25- What is the difference between anxiety and fear?• 26- What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety?• 27- Give examples for normal cases of anxiety.• 28- When is anxiety considered abnormal?• 29- List the five different types of Anxiety Disorders.• 30- What is phobia?

Answers (21-30)

• 21. Panic / Depression believed to be due to the suppression of anger

• 22. Unhappiness and illness is believed to be due to the soul leaving the body

• 23. Sufferers are believed to be under the influence of an evil eye

• 24. Anxiety refers to a general state of dread or uneasiness that occurs in response to a vague or imagined danger.

• 25. Fear is different from anxiety in that it is a response to a real kind of danger not an imagined one

• 26. Nervousness / inability to relax / concern about losing control / trembling / sweating / rapid heart rate / shortness of breath / high blood pressure / flushed face / faintness / light headedness

• 27. It is quite normal to feel anxious in some situations like tests and sports games or when there is a TV and you don’t hear while your studying

• 28. People who feel anxious for no good reason and this feeling continues for a long time like all and most of the time

• 29. Phobic Disorders / Panic Disorder / Generalized Anxiety Disorder ( GAD) / Obsessive Compulsive Disorder( OCD) / Stress Disorders

• 30. A simple phobia means fear that is persistent and excessive OR irrational and illogical that leads to avoidance behavior that interferes with the person's life and leads to maladaptivity.

Question (31-40)

• 31- What is the most important condition in diagnosing phobia? (Avoidance of the situation that leads to the phobia thus interfering with normal life)

• 32- List the different kinds of phobias.

• 33- What is a social phobia?

• 34- How do people with social phobias behave?

• 35- What do people with panic disorder have?

• 36- What is a panic attack?

• 37- What are the symptoms of a panic attack?

• 38- What is the duration of a panic attack?

• 39- What do people with panic attacks believe in?

• 40- What is the cause of panic attacks?

Answers (31-40)

• 31. Avoidance of the situation that leads to the phobia thus interfering with normal life

• 32. Zoophobia of animals / claustrophobia of closed places / acrophobia of heights / agoraphobia of open and crowded places / arachnophobia of arachnids / hematophobia of blood

• 33. It is when a person has continuous fear of any situation that puts him / her under the close inspection or examination of other

• 34. People resort to avoidance behavior and so they refrain from social occasions as parties, eating in public, or dating. If they can’t avoid, they suffer strong anxiety.

• 35. People with panic disorder have recurring and unexpected panic attacks

• 36. It is a relativity short period of intense fear or discomfort

• 37. Shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, trembling, sweating, choking, nausea, dizziness.

• 38. It may last from a few minutes to a few hours

• 39. They feel the sense of impending death

• 40. These attacks have no clear cause.

Questions (41-50)

• 41- What is Agoraphobia?• 42- What happens when people with agoraphobia cannot avoid the

situation they fear?• 43- What do panic attacks and agoraphobia lead to? (Avoidance behavior)• 44- What is GAD?• 45- What is the main condition for diagnosing GAD?• 46- What are the GAD worries about?• 47- What is the difference between GAD and the normal daily worries?• 48- What are obsessions?• 49- What are compulsions?• 50-Why do people with obsessions resort to compulsions?

Answers (41-50)

• 41. It is a fear of being in places or situation in which escape may be difficult or impossible

• 42. They encounter panic attacks

• 43. Avoidance Behavior

• 44. It is an excessive or unrealistic worry about daily hassles that overwhelms a person

• 45. The worries must be present during most of the time

• 46. These worries are related to work , finance , personal problems

• 47. It differs only in the duration and intensity

• 48. They are hateful , unwanted , and unjustified , senseless , repulsive , and recurrent ideas , thoughts and mental images

• 49. They are repetitive ritual behaviors or procedures tending to relieve the discomfort caused by the obsession

• 50. Because they think that it reduces their anxiety produced with obsessions

Questions (51-60)

• 51- Give examples for obsessions and compulsions.

• 52- What is the difference between obsessions and delusions?

• 53- What is the disadvantage of compulsions?

• 54- What are the two main differences between Post traumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder?

• 55- What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

• 56- What are the kinds of trauma that lead to post traumatic stress disorder?

• 57- What are the symptoms of PTSD?

• 58- What are the symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)?

• 59 – Explain the psychological views that interpret Anxiety Disorders. (Very important

• 60-Explain the biological views that interpret Anxiety Disorders? (Very important)

Answers (51-60)

• 51. a woman believes that everything she touches conveys germs and keeps washing her hands like 500 times a day

• 52. There is a difference between obsessions and delusions in that in obsessions the patient is aware that his / her hateful ideas are unjustified while in delusions the patient is living a dream or an imagination believing and convinced that it is a fact or a reality.

• 53. Time consuming and create additional life interference with life

• 54. ASD (onset: immediately after trauma) / (Duration: Short Lasting) PTSD: (Onset: Six months after trauma) / (Duration: Long Lasting)

• 55. Refers to intense, Persistent feelings of anxiety that are caused by an experience so traumatic that it would produce stress in almost anyone

• 56. rape , car crash , airplane crash , abuse , severe accident , war atrocities , assaults

• 57. Flashbacks of the trauma, nightmares, numbness of feelings, avoidance of stimuli reminiscent of the trauma, increased tension, sleep disorders, irritability, and poor concentration.

• 58. The same as PSTD

• 59. Psychological: (Repression of forbidden urges and drives) / (Phobias are conditioned or learned in childhood when the child experiences a traumatic event) / (People reduce their anxiety by trying to avoid its cause leading to this avoidance behavior)

• 60. Biological views refer anxiety to genetic factors and heredity based on examination of identical twins.

Questions (61-70)

• 61- Explain the interaction of factors in Anxiety Disorders. (Very important)• 62- What is dissociation?• 63- Give examples of some cases in which dissociation is considered

normal?• 64- What are the different types of Dissociative Disorders?• 65- What is Dissociative Amnesia?• 66- What do people with Dissociative Amnesia forget?• 67- How long does Dissociative Amnesia last?• 68- Dissociative Amnesia is psychogenic. Explain.• 69 – What is Dissociative Fugue?• 70- What is Dissociative Identity Disorder?

Answers (61-70)

• 61. Psychologists believe that people are genetically inclined to fears and that this genetic tendency makes people afraid of wild animals and other dangers and therefore helps them to survive. Fear makes people cautious and helps them in avoiding danger and protecting their lives. In panic attacks, the initial physical symptoms of dyspnea and rapid heart rate cause these people to react with fear because they have the gene for that and this fear worsens the symptoms and they might think they are having a heart attack. The genetic tendency for fear will also make them afraid of getting another panic attack and itself becomes a stressful psychological disorder which makes you live afraid and expecting a bad thing to recur whereas it might not .

• 62. Dissociation means separation of certain personality components or mental processes from conscious awareness and thought.

• 63. Reading , repairing something , watching TV, watching the road while driving , daydreaming

• 64. Dissociative Amnesia / Dissociative Fugue / Dissociative Identity Disorder / Depersonalization Disorder

• 65. It is characterized by sudden loss of memory usually following a severe traumatic event.

• 66. The person cannot remember the events that happened in the time lapse before , during , and after the stressful traumatic event

• 67. It may last for just a few hours or it may persist for years.

• 68. It means that the cause is only psychological and there are no biological causes to it such as a head trauma or a stroke.

• 69. It is not only characterized by loss of all personal or past memory but also of escaping and relocating from home and work and taking a new identity

• 70. It involves the existence of two or more personalities within a single person that take their turns in controlling the patient’s behavior

Questions (71-80)

• 71- In what ways do the multiple personalities of Dissociative Identity Disorder differ from each other?

• 72- What are the causes of Dissociative Identity Disorder?

• 73- What are the psychological views that explain Dissociative Disorders? (Very important)

• 74- What is “Somatization “?

• 75 – What is the difference between somatoform disorders and malingering?

• 76- What are the two most common types of Somatoform Disorders?

• 77- What is the Conversion Disorder?

• 78- What is Hypochondriasis?

• 79- Explain the Psychological theory that interprets Somatoform Disorders? (Very important)

• 80- When are people diagnosed as having a “Mood Disorder “?

Answers (71-80)

• 71. Each of these personalities is different from the others in physical traits such as the voice tone , the facial expressions , the self-perceived age , the gender , the physical characteristics and appearance

• 72. Repression of undesirable urges. / Expressing undesirable urges through dissociation into a new identity / Going outside oneself to avoid the inner turmoil (depersonalization) / when a person dissociates, he or she not only forgets the trauma but also reduces the anxiety related to that trauma and this itself encourages him / her to remain dissociated.

• 73. In dissociative amnesia or fugue, the person forgets the disturbing urges. In dissociative Identity, the person expresses undesirable urges by developing other personalities that can take responsibility for them. In Depersonalization, the person goes outside the self, away from the turmoil within

• 74. Expression of psychological Distress through Physical symptoms which are inexplicable on medical basis.

• 75. It differs from “malingering “in which the person intentionally and consciously fakes disease or pretends to be ill so as to avoid work, school or responsibility. While Somatoform disorder are not faking the symptoms.

• 76. Conversion Disorder / Hypochondriasis

• 77. It involves a change or a partial or total loss in the function of a certain part of the body

• 78. It is the person’s unrealistic preoccupation with thoughts that he or she has a serious disorder. They become annoyed and exaggerate minor physical symptoms and are convinced that there is a serious illness despite assurance by doctors that there is nothing wrong

• 79. Suggests that these Somatoform Disorders happen when forbidden urges and emotions are repressed and are expressed as physical illness. These Somatoform Disorders represent the balance between the subconscious desires and the need to express them against the fear of actually expressing them.

• 80. It is the Changes that seem inappropriate or inconsistent with the situation such as feeling sad when things are going well or feeling elated for no apparent reason

Questions (81-85)

• 81- What are the two main categories of “Mood Disorders “

• 82- What do people with depression feel?

• 83- What does the ‘Bipolar Disorder ‘mean?

• 84- What are the nine main symptoms of Major Depression?

• 85- How many of the nine symptoms are essential for the Diagnosis of major Depression

Answers (81-85)

• 81. Depression and Bipolar Disorder

• 82. They feel of hopelessness , helplessness , worthlessness , guilt and great sadness

• 83. It involves a cycle of mood changes from depression to wild elation and back again

• 84. Persistent depressed mood for most of the day. / Loss of interest in activities that were previously enjoyed. / Weight loss or weight gain due to either anorexia or polyphagia. / Sleeping Disorders / Fatigue and loss of energy. / Speeding up or slowing down of physical and emotional reactions. / Feelings of worthlessness or guilt. / Reduced ability to concentrate or make good decisions. / Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

• 85. at least five of the nine symptoms but these five symptoms must include either persistent depressed mood for most of the day or loss of interest or pleasure in all or almost all activities that a person used to enjoy before