CHAPTER 23: PERSONALITY
DISORDERS EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS. VERIFIED 2025/2026.
A pattern of socially irresponsible, exploitative, and guiltless behavior, evident in the tendency
to fail to conform to the law, develop stable relationships, or sustain consistent employment;
exploitation and manipulation of others for personal gain is common. - ANS antisocial
personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by social withdrawal rooted in extreme fear of rejection
and feelings of inadequacy. - ANS avoidant personality disorder
a disorder characterized by a pattern of intense and chaotic relationships, with affective
instability, fluctuating and extreme attitudes regarding other people, impulsivity, direct and
indirect self-destructive behavior, and lack of a clear or certain sense of identity, life plan, or
values. - ANS borderline personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by pervasive, excessive dependency needs, submissiveness,
and exaggerated fears of inability to care for oneself. - ANS dependent personality disorder
a type of personality disorder characterized by excessively emotional and attention seeking
behavior, often present in a very colorful and dramatic fashion. - ANS histrionic personality
disorder
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,a disorder characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-worth. These individuals lack empathy
and are hypersensitive to the evaluation to others. - ANS narcissistic personality disorder
a type of personality disorder in which the individual has an intense fear of making mistakes,
which manifests in inflexible and perfectionistic behavior. It is differentiated from obsessive
compulsive disorder in that there is no evidence of the rituals in the individual with this
personality disorder. - ANS obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
a type of personality disorder in which the individual intensely mistrusts others and assumes
that they have malevolent intentions toward them. - ANS paranoid personality disorder
a type of personality disorder characterized by extreme detachment from personal relationships
and restricted expression of emotions. - ANS schizoid personality disorder
a disorder characterized by odd and eccentric behavior, not decompensating to the level of
schizophrenia. - ANS schizotypal personality disorder
1. Kim has a diagnosis of BPD. She often exhibits alternating clinging and distancing behaviors.
Which of the following is the most appropriate nursing intervention with this type of behavior?
a. encourage Kim to establish trust in one staff person with whom all therapeutic interaction
should take place.
b. secure a verbal contract from Kim that she will discontinue these behaviors.
c. withdraw attention if these behaviors continue.
d. rotate staff members who work with Kim so that she will learn to relate to more than one
person. - ANS d. rotate staff members who work with Kim so that she will learn to relate to
more than one person.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, 2. Kim, a client diagnosed with BPD, manipulates the staff in an effort to fulfill her own desires.
All of the following may be examples of manipulative behaviors in the borderline client EXCEPT:
a. refusal to stay in room alone, stating, "It's so lonely."
b. asking Nurse Jones for cigarettes after 30 minutes, knowing the assigned nurse has explained
she must wait 1 hour.
c. stating to Nurse Jones, "I really like having you as my nurse. You're the best one around here."
d. cutting arms with razor blade after discussing dismissal plans with physician. - ANS a.
refusal to stay in room alone, stating, "It's so lonely."
3. "Splitting" by the client with BPD denotes which of the following?
a. evidence of precocious development
b. a primitive defense mechanism in which the client sees objects as all good or all bad
c. a brief psychotic episode in which the client loses contact with reality
d. two distinct personalities within the borderline client - ANS b. a primitive defense
mechanism in which the client sees objects as all good or all bad
4. According to Margaret Mahler, predisposition to BPD occurs when developmental tasks go
unfulfilled in which of the following phases?
a. autistic phase, during which the child's needs for security and comfort go unfulfilled.
b. symbiotic phase, during which the child fails to bond with the mother
c. differentiation phase, during which the child fails to recognize a separateness between self
and mother
d. rapprochement phase, during which the mother withdraws emotional support in response to
the child's increasing independence - ANS d. rapprochement phase, during which the mother
withdraws emotional support in response to the child's increasing independence
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
DISORDERS EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS. VERIFIED 2025/2026.
A pattern of socially irresponsible, exploitative, and guiltless behavior, evident in the tendency
to fail to conform to the law, develop stable relationships, or sustain consistent employment;
exploitation and manipulation of others for personal gain is common. - ANS antisocial
personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by social withdrawal rooted in extreme fear of rejection
and feelings of inadequacy. - ANS avoidant personality disorder
a disorder characterized by a pattern of intense and chaotic relationships, with affective
instability, fluctuating and extreme attitudes regarding other people, impulsivity, direct and
indirect self-destructive behavior, and lack of a clear or certain sense of identity, life plan, or
values. - ANS borderline personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by pervasive, excessive dependency needs, submissiveness,
and exaggerated fears of inability to care for oneself. - ANS dependent personality disorder
a type of personality disorder characterized by excessively emotional and attention seeking
behavior, often present in a very colorful and dramatic fashion. - ANS histrionic personality
disorder
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,a disorder characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-worth. These individuals lack empathy
and are hypersensitive to the evaluation to others. - ANS narcissistic personality disorder
a type of personality disorder in which the individual has an intense fear of making mistakes,
which manifests in inflexible and perfectionistic behavior. It is differentiated from obsessive
compulsive disorder in that there is no evidence of the rituals in the individual with this
personality disorder. - ANS obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
a type of personality disorder in which the individual intensely mistrusts others and assumes
that they have malevolent intentions toward them. - ANS paranoid personality disorder
a type of personality disorder characterized by extreme detachment from personal relationships
and restricted expression of emotions. - ANS schizoid personality disorder
a disorder characterized by odd and eccentric behavior, not decompensating to the level of
schizophrenia. - ANS schizotypal personality disorder
1. Kim has a diagnosis of BPD. She often exhibits alternating clinging and distancing behaviors.
Which of the following is the most appropriate nursing intervention with this type of behavior?
a. encourage Kim to establish trust in one staff person with whom all therapeutic interaction
should take place.
b. secure a verbal contract from Kim that she will discontinue these behaviors.
c. withdraw attention if these behaviors continue.
d. rotate staff members who work with Kim so that she will learn to relate to more than one
person. - ANS d. rotate staff members who work with Kim so that she will learn to relate to
more than one person.
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, 2. Kim, a client diagnosed with BPD, manipulates the staff in an effort to fulfill her own desires.
All of the following may be examples of manipulative behaviors in the borderline client EXCEPT:
a. refusal to stay in room alone, stating, "It's so lonely."
b. asking Nurse Jones for cigarettes after 30 minutes, knowing the assigned nurse has explained
she must wait 1 hour.
c. stating to Nurse Jones, "I really like having you as my nurse. You're the best one around here."
d. cutting arms with razor blade after discussing dismissal plans with physician. - ANS a.
refusal to stay in room alone, stating, "It's so lonely."
3. "Splitting" by the client with BPD denotes which of the following?
a. evidence of precocious development
b. a primitive defense mechanism in which the client sees objects as all good or all bad
c. a brief psychotic episode in which the client loses contact with reality
d. two distinct personalities within the borderline client - ANS b. a primitive defense
mechanism in which the client sees objects as all good or all bad
4. According to Margaret Mahler, predisposition to BPD occurs when developmental tasks go
unfulfilled in which of the following phases?
a. autistic phase, during which the child's needs for security and comfort go unfulfilled.
b. symbiotic phase, during which the child fails to bond with the mother
c. differentiation phase, during which the child fails to recognize a separateness between self
and mother
d. rapprochement phase, during which the mother withdraws emotional support in response to
the child's increasing independence - ANS d. rapprochement phase, during which the mother
withdraws emotional support in response to the child's increasing independence
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
