ESSENTIALS OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
CERTIFICATION EVALUATION 2026 EXAM
SCRIPT FULLY SOLVED QUESTIONS
◉Presenting Problem. Answer: • original complaint reported by the
client to the therapist. The actual treated problem may be a
modification derived from the presenting problem.
◉Prevalence. Answer: • number of people displaying a disorder in
the total population at any given time (compared with incidence)
◉Prognosis. Answer: • predicted development of a disorder over
time
◉psychoanalysis. Answer: • assessment and therapy pioneered by
Freud that emphasizes exploration of, and insight into, unconscious
processes and conflicts.
◉psychoanalytic model. Answer: • most comprehensive theory on
the development of our personalities
,◉psychodynamic psychotherapy. Answer: • contemporary version
of psychoanalysis that still emphasizes unconscious processes and
conflicts but is briefer and more focused on specific problems
◉psychopathology. Answer: • scientific study of psychological
disorders
◉reinforcement. Answer: • operant conditioning
• consequences of bx that strengthen or increase its frequency
• Positive=adding something to increase a behavior
• Negative=taking something away
• Unwanted bx may result from reinforcement of those bx or the
failure to reinforce desire bx
◉scientist-practitioner. Answer: • mental health professionals that
take a scientific approach to their clinical work
◉shaping. Answer: • operant conditioning
• the development of a new response by reinforcing successively
more similar versions of that response. Both desirable and
undesirable bx can be learned this way
• reinforcing successive approximations to a final bx
◉superego. Answer: • psychoanalysis
, • conscience, moral standards instilled in us by our parents and
culture
◉systematic desensitization. Answer: • behavioral therapy
technique to diminish excessive fears, involving gradual exposure to
the feared stimulus paired with a positive coping experience, usually
relaxation.
unconscious
◉unconscious. Answer: • part of the psychic makeup that is outside
the awareness of the person
◉*CHAPTER 2*. Answer: ...
◉multidimensional approach. Answer: • psychological disorders are
always the products of multiple interacting causal factors
◉genes. Answer: DNA; instructions
◉diathesis-stress model. Answer: • a vulnerability and a specific
stressful situation-stressor (separately) are required to produce a
disorder
CERTIFICATION EVALUATION 2026 EXAM
SCRIPT FULLY SOLVED QUESTIONS
◉Presenting Problem. Answer: • original complaint reported by the
client to the therapist. The actual treated problem may be a
modification derived from the presenting problem.
◉Prevalence. Answer: • number of people displaying a disorder in
the total population at any given time (compared with incidence)
◉Prognosis. Answer: • predicted development of a disorder over
time
◉psychoanalysis. Answer: • assessment and therapy pioneered by
Freud that emphasizes exploration of, and insight into, unconscious
processes and conflicts.
◉psychoanalytic model. Answer: • most comprehensive theory on
the development of our personalities
,◉psychodynamic psychotherapy. Answer: • contemporary version
of psychoanalysis that still emphasizes unconscious processes and
conflicts but is briefer and more focused on specific problems
◉psychopathology. Answer: • scientific study of psychological
disorders
◉reinforcement. Answer: • operant conditioning
• consequences of bx that strengthen or increase its frequency
• Positive=adding something to increase a behavior
• Negative=taking something away
• Unwanted bx may result from reinforcement of those bx or the
failure to reinforce desire bx
◉scientist-practitioner. Answer: • mental health professionals that
take a scientific approach to their clinical work
◉shaping. Answer: • operant conditioning
• the development of a new response by reinforcing successively
more similar versions of that response. Both desirable and
undesirable bx can be learned this way
• reinforcing successive approximations to a final bx
◉superego. Answer: • psychoanalysis
, • conscience, moral standards instilled in us by our parents and
culture
◉systematic desensitization. Answer: • behavioral therapy
technique to diminish excessive fears, involving gradual exposure to
the feared stimulus paired with a positive coping experience, usually
relaxation.
unconscious
◉unconscious. Answer: • part of the psychic makeup that is outside
the awareness of the person
◉*CHAPTER 2*. Answer: ...
◉multidimensional approach. Answer: • psychological disorders are
always the products of multiple interacting causal factors
◉genes. Answer: DNA; instructions
◉diathesis-stress model. Answer: • a vulnerability and a specific
stressful situation-stressor (separately) are required to produce a
disorder
