Test Bank
,Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - Essay
1. Psychopathology may include deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. Explain what these terms mean
regarding psychopathology and provide an example of a time when each feature of psychopathology would not be
considered pathological.
ANSWER: There are said to be four Ds of psychopathology.
The first feature is deviance, which describes behavior, thoughts, and emotions that are atypical for
their place and time. An example of atypical behavior that would not be considered pathological is a
person who sleeps outside when camping. While sleeping outdoors is not the norm in our society, we
make exception for this behavior under this specific circumstance.
The second feature is distress. When an individual feels distress over symptom manifestation, we often
consider this to be a marker of psychopathology. An example of when distress would not be
considered pathological would be a situation in which a parent experiences distress because their child
is serving in the military in a war zone. The feelings of distress inherent in a child serving abroad would
not be a sign of psychopathology.
The third feature is dysfunction. Behavior tends to be considered dysfunctional when it interrupts the
ability to function in daily living. An example of when dysfunction would not be considered pathological
would be if someone voluntarily engaged in a hunger strike out as a form of protest. Often these
individuals are considered heroic rather than dysfunctional.
The final feature is danger, which is usually classified as an individual being a danger to themselves or
others. An example of when dangerous behavior would not be considered pathological could be a
firefighter or other emergency responder who risks injury and death in the service of others as part of
their professional calling.
2. How do differences between cultures, and cultural changes over time, make it hard to be consistent about what we
call deviant?
ANSWER: Different cultures have different norms about personal appearance and behavior. This means that
before we can say, for instance, whether a young woman's desire to stretch her neck with brass rings
is typical or deviant, we have to decide whether we are judging her by Western standards or by the
standards of a culture where neck-lengthening is common practice. In addition, although heavy
tattooing on a person's neck and arms would once have been considered strange and possibly deviant
in the United States, it has become relatively common. Even clearly unhealthy behavior, like binge
drinking, is so much part of the culture in some places (on college campuses, for instance) that it is
hard to classify it as deviant.
,Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - Essay
3. Suppose a friend says to you, "I feel overwhelmed today, and I don't know why. You're studying psychology—
what do you think?" If, after a conversation, your friend feels better about things, have you provided true therapy?
Why or why not? Include the essential features of therapy in your answer.
ANSWER: According to the text, this interaction does not qualify as psychological therapy. Clinical theorist
Jerome Frank stated that all true therapy has three essential features. The first feature is a patient who
seeks relief from the healer. The second feature of true therapy is that it must be administered by a
trained, socially accepted healer who has expertise in what the individual is diagnosed with. The third
essential element of therapy is that there should be a series of contacts with the patient to produce
changes. Given the criteria set out by Jerome Frank, this encounter does not meet the criteria for true
therapy because a psych student is not the same as a trained healer with expertise, and there was not a
series of contacts to produce any changes. Although listening can sometimes bring great relief, there is
a great difference between therapy and simply being a good friend.
4. Compare and contrast how psychopathology was viewed and treated in the past with the way it is viewed and
treated today. Are the changes for the better or the worse?
ANSWER: The changes have been generally, though not uniformly, for the better. In the distant past, the belief that
evil spirits or dark forces created psychological dysfunction permeated the belief about people with
mental illness and their treatment. Eventually, the view evolved so that psychopathology was caused by
natural factors, either in the body or in the mind.
Along with the more naturalistic way of thinking about psychopathology came better treatment of
people with mental illness. At first, those experiencing psychopathology were simply warehoused in
asylums, where they received no meaningful treatment. In time, however, the "moral treatment"
championed by reformers such as Tuke, Pinel, Rush, and Dix revolutionized the way in which people
with mental illness were viewed and treated. Although this movement did not permanently change the
institutional landscape, its framing of mental illness as something to be treated set the stage for those
like Freud to develop theories that viewed clients and treatments with humanity.
Psychotropic medication discovered in the twentieth century allowed many who may not have had a
chance of recovery otherwise to function outside of an institutional setting. Psychotropic medications of
the past also solidified the status of mental illness as a treatable and often biologically based illness. At
the same time, deinstitutionalization was not an unmixed blessing. For people released from institutions,
the care and support structure provided when they left was sorely lacking, and that remains the case
today. Many people with mental illness are still unhoused or in prisons.
, Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - Essay
5. Discuss the contributions to psychopathology treatments by three individuals. Include the time period and location
where each lived and how these people's contributions helped shape current views and treatments for
psychopathology.
ANSWER: Answers can include any three of these:
—Hippocrates: 460–377 B.C.E. Greece. Referred to as the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates
contributed the belief that illnesses had natural causes, and he saw atypical behavior as arising from
physical problems. This viewpoint encouraged searching for causes outside of evil forces, which also
then supported lifestyle changes that could help prevent mental disorders.
—Emil Kraepelin: 1856–1926. Germany. Kraepelin was a researcher who published a textbook in
1883 asserting that physical factors such as fatigue were responsible for mental illness. He also
developed the first modern system for classifying different kinds of psychopathology, listing their
physical causes and discussing their expected course, as we do today.
—Dorothea Dix: 1802–1887. Boston, Massachusetts. Dix was a schoolteacher who called for mental
health treatment reform by speaking to both state legislatures and the U.S. Congress about the horrors
she witnessed at asylums. Her campaign led to improved laws and funding, specifically to set up state
hospitals to care for people with mental illness.
—Philippe Pinel: 1745–1826. Paris, France. Pinel argued that people with mental illness should be
treated with sympathy and kindness. After becoming chief physician at La Bicêtre, he unchained
patients and renovated rooms to reflect his perspective. Pinel was instrumental in promoting the use of
more humane approaches to mental illness.
—Friedrich Anton Mesmer: 1734–1815. Mesmer was an Austrian physician who set up a clinic in
Paris. He used hypnotism to heal those with hysterical disorders, showing that a person sometimes
holds the keys for healing themselves. Mesmer's hypnotism paved the way for later psychoanalytic
explanations using the unconscious.
—Benjamin Rush: 1745–1813. Pennsylvania. Considered the father of American psychiatry, Rush
developed humane treatment approaches to mental illness, even hiring sensitive attendants to work
with patients he treated.
6. What was the original purpose of asylums for people with severe mental illness? What happened to these
institutions over time?
ANSWER: Asylums were originally founded to provide humane care on a larger scale than what was available at
the time through at-home care, community residences, or medical hospitals. However, in time, even the
asylums hit their capacity limit and began to overflow. After this, the asylums became virtual prisons,
where patients were confined in filthy conditions and treated cruelly, even bound in chains while
tourists paid to look at them.
,Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - Essay
1. Psychopathology may include deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. Explain what these terms mean
regarding psychopathology and provide an example of a time when each feature of psychopathology would not be
considered pathological.
ANSWER: There are said to be four Ds of psychopathology.
The first feature is deviance, which describes behavior, thoughts, and emotions that are atypical for
their place and time. An example of atypical behavior that would not be considered pathological is a
person who sleeps outside when camping. While sleeping outdoors is not the norm in our society, we
make exception for this behavior under this specific circumstance.
The second feature is distress. When an individual feels distress over symptom manifestation, we often
consider this to be a marker of psychopathology. An example of when distress would not be
considered pathological would be a situation in which a parent experiences distress because their child
is serving in the military in a war zone. The feelings of distress inherent in a child serving abroad would
not be a sign of psychopathology.
The third feature is dysfunction. Behavior tends to be considered dysfunctional when it interrupts the
ability to function in daily living. An example of when dysfunction would not be considered pathological
would be if someone voluntarily engaged in a hunger strike out as a form of protest. Often these
individuals are considered heroic rather than dysfunctional.
The final feature is danger, which is usually classified as an individual being a danger to themselves or
others. An example of when dangerous behavior would not be considered pathological could be a
firefighter or other emergency responder who risks injury and death in the service of others as part of
their professional calling.
2. How do differences between cultures, and cultural changes over time, make it hard to be consistent about what we
call deviant?
ANSWER: Different cultures have different norms about personal appearance and behavior. This means that
before we can say, for instance, whether a young woman's desire to stretch her neck with brass rings
is typical or deviant, we have to decide whether we are judging her by Western standards or by the
standards of a culture where neck-lengthening is common practice. In addition, although heavy
tattooing on a person's neck and arms would once have been considered strange and possibly deviant
in the United States, it has become relatively common. Even clearly unhealthy behavior, like binge
drinking, is so much part of the culture in some places (on college campuses, for instance) that it is
hard to classify it as deviant.
,Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - Essay
3. Suppose a friend says to you, "I feel overwhelmed today, and I don't know why. You're studying psychology—
what do you think?" If, after a conversation, your friend feels better about things, have you provided true therapy?
Why or why not? Include the essential features of therapy in your answer.
ANSWER: According to the text, this interaction does not qualify as psychological therapy. Clinical theorist
Jerome Frank stated that all true therapy has three essential features. The first feature is a patient who
seeks relief from the healer. The second feature of true therapy is that it must be administered by a
trained, socially accepted healer who has expertise in what the individual is diagnosed with. The third
essential element of therapy is that there should be a series of contacts with the patient to produce
changes. Given the criteria set out by Jerome Frank, this encounter does not meet the criteria for true
therapy because a psych student is not the same as a trained healer with expertise, and there was not a
series of contacts to produce any changes. Although listening can sometimes bring great relief, there is
a great difference between therapy and simply being a good friend.
4. Compare and contrast how psychopathology was viewed and treated in the past with the way it is viewed and
treated today. Are the changes for the better or the worse?
ANSWER: The changes have been generally, though not uniformly, for the better. In the distant past, the belief that
evil spirits or dark forces created psychological dysfunction permeated the belief about people with
mental illness and their treatment. Eventually, the view evolved so that psychopathology was caused by
natural factors, either in the body or in the mind.
Along with the more naturalistic way of thinking about psychopathology came better treatment of
people with mental illness. At first, those experiencing psychopathology were simply warehoused in
asylums, where they received no meaningful treatment. In time, however, the "moral treatment"
championed by reformers such as Tuke, Pinel, Rush, and Dix revolutionized the way in which people
with mental illness were viewed and treated. Although this movement did not permanently change the
institutional landscape, its framing of mental illness as something to be treated set the stage for those
like Freud to develop theories that viewed clients and treatments with humanity.
Psychotropic medication discovered in the twentieth century allowed many who may not have had a
chance of recovery otherwise to function outside of an institutional setting. Psychotropic medications of
the past also solidified the status of mental illness as a treatable and often biologically based illness. At
the same time, deinstitutionalization was not an unmixed blessing. For people released from institutions,
the care and support structure provided when they left was sorely lacking, and that remains the case
today. Many people with mental illness are still unhoused or in prisons.
, Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 1 - Essay
5. Discuss the contributions to psychopathology treatments by three individuals. Include the time period and location
where each lived and how these people's contributions helped shape current views and treatments for
psychopathology.
ANSWER: Answers can include any three of these:
—Hippocrates: 460–377 B.C.E. Greece. Referred to as the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates
contributed the belief that illnesses had natural causes, and he saw atypical behavior as arising from
physical problems. This viewpoint encouraged searching for causes outside of evil forces, which also
then supported lifestyle changes that could help prevent mental disorders.
—Emil Kraepelin: 1856–1926. Germany. Kraepelin was a researcher who published a textbook in
1883 asserting that physical factors such as fatigue were responsible for mental illness. He also
developed the first modern system for classifying different kinds of psychopathology, listing their
physical causes and discussing their expected course, as we do today.
—Dorothea Dix: 1802–1887. Boston, Massachusetts. Dix was a schoolteacher who called for mental
health treatment reform by speaking to both state legislatures and the U.S. Congress about the horrors
she witnessed at asylums. Her campaign led to improved laws and funding, specifically to set up state
hospitals to care for people with mental illness.
—Philippe Pinel: 1745–1826. Paris, France. Pinel argued that people with mental illness should be
treated with sympathy and kindness. After becoming chief physician at La Bicêtre, he unchained
patients and renovated rooms to reflect his perspective. Pinel was instrumental in promoting the use of
more humane approaches to mental illness.
—Friedrich Anton Mesmer: 1734–1815. Mesmer was an Austrian physician who set up a clinic in
Paris. He used hypnotism to heal those with hysterical disorders, showing that a person sometimes
holds the keys for healing themselves. Mesmer's hypnotism paved the way for later psychoanalytic
explanations using the unconscious.
—Benjamin Rush: 1745–1813. Pennsylvania. Considered the father of American psychiatry, Rush
developed humane treatment approaches to mental illness, even hiring sensitive attendants to work
with patients he treated.
6. What was the original purpose of asylums for people with severe mental illness? What happened to these
institutions over time?
ANSWER: Asylums were originally founded to provide humane care on a larger scale than what was available at
the time through at-home care, community residences, or medical hospitals. However, in time, even the
asylums hit their capacity limit and began to overflow. After this, the asylums became virtual prisons,
where patients were confined in filthy conditions and treated cruelly, even bound in chains while
tourists paid to look at them.
