Nursing Elites

1. Colleen found herself attracted to her psychology instructor. She would frequently go by his office just to be near him. When he didn't respond to her advances, Colleen eventually told him that she had thoughts of killing herself so that he would spend time trying to counsel her. What personality disorder best describes Colleen's thinking and behavior?

• A. Borderline personality disorder
• B. Schizoid personality disorder
• C. Schizotypal personality disorder
• D. Antisocial personality disorder

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Colleen's behavior of seeking attention and manipulating others by threatening self-harm to elicit a response from her psychology instructor aligns with the characteristics of borderline personality disorder. This disorder is characterized by unstable relationships, impulsive actions, and efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because they do not match Colleen's behavior as described in the scenario. Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, Schizotypal personality disorder involves social anxiety and odd behavior, and Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a disregard for others' feelings and violating their rights.

2. Nearly all adults who were children living in Saigon when the U.S. armed forces left Vietnam in 1975 report that their lives were changed by those events. This exemplifies which of the following?

• A. Normative age-graded influence
• B. Social clock
• C. Critical period
• D. Sensitive period

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C. This scenario exemplifies a critical period in development. Critical periods are specific times in an individual's life when certain events have a profound impact on their development. In this case, the events surrounding the departure of the U.S. armed forces from Saigon in 1975 had a lasting influence on the children living there at that time. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. Normative age-graded influence refers to events that are common to people of a particular age group, the social clock relates to the culturally preferred timing of social events, and a sensitive period is a time when an individual is more susceptible to environmental influences but does not result in lifelong consequences as with critical periods.

3. A male college student begins feeling sad and lonely. Although still able to go to classes and work at his job, he finds himself feeling down much of the time and worrying about what is happening to him. Which part of the definition of abnormality applies to his situation?

• A. Personal distress
• B. Cultural factors
• C. Impaired functioning
• D. Violation of societal norms

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Personal distress. In this scenario, the student is experiencing personal distress as he feels sad and lonely, despite being able to function in his daily life. Personal distress is a key criterion for determining abnormality as it signifies significant emotional discomfort. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect as cultural factors, impaired functioning, and violation of societal norms are not the primary factors highlighted in the student's situation.

4. Who took the position that organisms tend to repeat responses that lead to positive outcomes and tend not to repeat responses that lead to neutral or negative outcomes?

• A. Sigmund Freud
• B. B.F. Skinner
• C. Carl Rogers
• D. Abraham Maslow

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B.F. Skinner. Skinner proposed the theory of operant conditioning, where behavior is shaped by its consequences. Positive outcomes increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while neutral or negative outcomes decrease it. Sigmund Freud (choice A) is known for his psychoanalytic theory, Carl Rogers (choice C) for person-centered therapy, and Abraham Maslow (choice D) for the hierarchy of needs.

5. In defining a mental disorder, deviance refers to?

• A. Amount of suffering the individual is experiencing due to the mental disorder
• B. Inability of an individual to fulfill a certain role (e.g., work or family obligation)
• C. The capacity of the individual to cause harm to the people around them
• D. The tendency of an individual to display behaviors that are culturally unexpected

Correct answer: D

Rationale: In defining a mental disorder, deviance refers to behavior that is culturally unexpected or violates social norms. This means that the individual displays behaviors that are not typical or acceptable within their specific culture or society. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because they do not directly relate to the concept of deviance in the context of defining a mental disorder. The amount of suffering, inability to fulfill a role, or capacity to cause harm are important considerations in understanding mental disorders but are not specifically related to deviance.

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