My EPPP - EPPP Practice Questions: Clinical Psychology Big 6
The client redirects his anger from the ex-wife to the therapist, who is a safer target. This is displacement, where feelings are shifted to a less threatening person or object.
A therapy client who has angry, hostile feelings for his soon-to-be ex-wife begins to
verbally attack his supportive therapist for no reason. The client’s behavior illustrates
which of the following defense mechanisms?
a. reaction formation
b. projection
c. sublimation
d. displacement
d. displacement
Displacement involves redirecting undesirable sexual or aggressive feelings toward one
person onto a safe or vulnerable substitute.
Key Terms
A therapy client who has angry, hostile feelings for his soon-to-be ex-wife begins to
verbally attack his supportive therapist for no reason. The client’s behavior illustrates
which of the following defense mechanisms?
a. reaction formation
b. projection
c. sublimation
d. displacement
d. displacement
Displacement involves redirecting undesirable sexual or aggressive feelings toward one
person onto a safe or vulnerable...
According to Margaret Mahler, which of the following is key to the development of object
relations?
a. healthy narcissism
b. separation-individuation
c. mirroring
d. syntaxic cognitive expression
b. separation-individuation
Mahler describes early development as involving several stages. It is during the
separation-individuation s...
From the perspective of Gestalt therapy, transference:
a. represents confusion between fantasy and reality.
b. represents projection of disowned parts of the self.
c. is an attempt to avoid strong feelings.
d. is a manifestation of regression.
a. represents confusion between fantasy and reality
A Gestaltian views a client’s transference as a form of fantasy and, to get the client ba...
__________ attributed individual differences in personality and behavior to differences in
the way that people “construe” (anticipate, perceive, interpret, and predict) events. For
example, one person may perceive a new task at work as “interesting,” while another
person may perceive the same task as “boring.”
a. George Kelly
b. Fritz Perls
c. Carl Rogers
d. William Glasser
a. George Kelly
According to Kelly, a person’s psychological processes are determined by the way he or she
“construes” events, with con...
Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente’s (1994) transtheoretical model distinguishes
between
10 change processes and proposes that the most effective combination of
processes depends on the client’s stage of change. For example, they recommend
consciousness raising, supportive relationships, self re-evaluation, and emotional arousal
as the optimal combination for clients in the __________ stage.
a. maintenance
b. conformity
c. action
d. contemplation
d. contemplation
Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente identify the change processes listed in the question as
the optimal combination of...
During the first therapy session with a husband and wife who are experiencing marital
problems, a therapist requests that, during the next week, they identify things in their
relationship that they want to continue. Most likely, this therapist is a practitioner of:
a. psychoeducational family therapy.
b. behavioral marital therapy.
c. interpersonal therapy.
d. solution-focused therapy.
d. solution-focused therapy
The therapist has given the couple a task that will help them focus on the positive aspects of
their relati...
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
A therapy client who has angry, hostile feelings for his soon-to-be ex-wife begins to verbally attack his supportive therapist for no reason. The client’s behavior illustrates which of the following defense mechanisms? a. reaction formation b. projection c. sublimation d. displacement | d. displacement Displacement involves redirecting undesirable sexual or aggressive feelings toward one person onto a safe or vulnerable substitute. |
According to Margaret Mahler, which of the following is key to the development of object relations? a. healthy narcissism b. separation-individuation c. mirroring d. syntaxic cognitive expression | b. separation-individuation Mahler describes early development as involving several stages. It is during the separation-individuation stage (which begins at about four months of age) that the development of object relations occurs. |
From the perspective of Gestalt therapy, transference: a. represents confusion between fantasy and reality. b. represents projection of disowned parts of the self. c. is an attempt to avoid strong feelings. d. is a manifestation of regression. | a. represents confusion between fantasy and reality A Gestaltian views a client’s transference as a form of fantasy and, to get the client back in the here-and-now, helps him/her distinguish between that fantasy and reality (e.g., “I’m your therapist, not your mother!”). |
__________ attributed individual differences in personality and behavior to differences in the way that people “construe” (anticipate, perceive, interpret, and predict) events. For example, one person may perceive a new task at work as “interesting,” while another person may perceive the same task as “boring.” a. George Kelly b. Fritz Perls c. Carl Rogers d. William Glasser | a. George Kelly According to Kelly, a person’s psychological processes are determined by the way he or she “construes” events, with construing involving the use of personal constructs, which are bipolar dimensions of meaning (e.g., interesting/boring) that begin to develop in infancy and may operate on an unconscious or conscious level. |
Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente’s (1994) transtheoretical model distinguishes between 10 change processes and proposes that the most effective combination of processes depends on the client’s stage of change. For example, they recommend consciousness raising, supportive relationships, self re-evaluation, and emotional arousal as the optimal combination for clients in the __________ stage. a. maintenance b. conformity c. action d. contemplation | d. contemplation Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente identify the change processes listed in the question as the optimal combination of processes for clients in the contemplation stage. |
During the first therapy session with a husband and wife who are experiencing marital problems, a therapist requests that, during the next week, they identify things in their relationship that they want to continue. Most likely, this therapist is a practitioner of: a. psychoeducational family therapy. b. behavioral marital therapy. c. interpersonal therapy. d. solution-focused therapy. | d. solution-focused therapy The therapist has given the couple a task that will help them focus on the positive aspects of their relationship. In the context of solution-focused therapy, this assignment is an example of a “formula task.” Its purpose is to help the couple identify positive aspects of their relationship that, in turn, can lead to solutions to their marital difficulties. |
Role disputes, role transitions, unresolved grief, and interpersonal deficits are the primary targets of: a. reality therapy. b. solution-focused therapy. c. narrative therapy. d. interpersonal therapy. | d. interpersonal therapy. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a brief structured manual-based therapy that was originally developed as a treatment for depression but has since been applied to other disorders. Its primary targets are the four problem areas listed in this question. |
The information that family members continuously exchange and that helps minimize deviation and maintain the family’s current state of equilibrium is referred to as ________ feedback. a. external b. internal c. negative d. positive | c. negative The information exchange between family members can act as either positive or negative feedback. Negative feedback helps the family system return to or maintain its current state of equilibrium (homeostasis) and thereby helps minimize deviation and change. |
A family therapist notices that, whenever the mother talks, the father and son contradict what she says and criticize her. As described by Minuchin, the father and son’s behavior is an example of: a. triangulation. b. a stable coalition. c. positive feedback. d. scapegoating. | b. a stable coalition Minuchin uses the term stable coalition to describe a relationship between two family members that involves the consistent joining of those members against a third member, which sounds like what’s going on in the situation described in this question. (As defined by Minuchin, stable coalition and triangulation are both types of rigid triangles that serve to reduce stress. However, triangulation occurs when each parent demands that the child side with him/her so that the child is being pulled in two directions.) |
A practitioner of Minuchin’s structural family therapy uses which of the following to alter the hierarchical relationships within a family system or subsystem? a. unbalancing b. tracking c. reframing d. mimesis | a. unbalancing Unbalancing is a restructuring technique that is used by structural family therapists to change hierarchical relationships between family members. It may involve affiliating with a family member, ignoring a family member, or entering into a coalition with a family member against another member. |
Howard et al.’s (1986) phase model proposes that a client’s progress in therapy occurs in three predictable phases. These are: a. unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. b. remoralization, remediation, and rehabilitation. c. engagement, exploration, and evaluation. d. contemplation, action, and termination. | b. remoralization, remediation, and rehabilitation. As described by Howard et al., remoralization is an improvement in the subjective sense of well-being, remediation is a reduction in symptoms, and rehabilitation involves improvements in overall functioning. |
Data published by Hans Eysenck in 1952: a. confirmed the effectiveness of behavioral treatments for a variety of psychological disorders. b. confirmed the “Dodo bird” hypothesis, which predicts that various types of treatment are equally effective for a variety of psychological disorders. c. challenged the notion of “spontaneous remission.” d. challenged the effectiveness of conventional psychotherapeutic interventions. | d. challenged the effectiveness of conventional psychotherapeutic interventions Eysenck’s 1952 publication sparked research on psychotherapy outcomes. In that article, he reported that 66% of patients in eclectic therapy and 44% in psychoanalytic psychotherapy improved versus 72% of those with similar problems who did not receive therapy. |
Efficacy studies are: a. useful for determining a treatment’s cost-effectiveness. b. conducted under well-controlled conditions. c. better than effectiveness studies for evaluating a treatment’s generalizability. d. no longer conducted because of their limited usefulness. | b. conducted under well-controlled conditions. Efficacy studies are conducted in well-controlled conditions, often using a structured manualized format. In contrast, effectiveness studies are conducted in applied (clinical) settings with less experimental control. Efficacy studies are considered useful for establishing whether or not a treatment has significant effects, while effectiveness studies are better for assessing a treatment clinical utility (i.e., for determining the treatment’s generalizability, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness). |
A psychologist who is an expert in the field of geriatrics is hired by the designers of a retirement facility to make recommendations regarding the design of shared (community) spaces so that the social isolation of residents will be minimized. This is an example of: a. tertiary prevention. b. secondary prevention. c. primary prevention. d. strategic prevention. | c. primary prevention The goal of a primary prevention is to reduce the likelihood that a mental disorder or other problem will occur. Designing a retirement facility in a way that reduces social isolation is an example of primary prevention. |
A therapist familiar with the impact of cultural factors on symptom expression assumes that an Asian client’s somatic complaints are actually indicative of a mental disorder. This is an example of: a. the fundamental attribution bias. b. demand characteristics. c. diagnostic overshadowing. d. the parallel process. | c. diagnostic overshadowing Diagnostic overshadowing occurs when one aspect of a client’s symptoms or condition “overshadows” the therapist’s ability to consider or recognize other symptoms or conditions. Although the term was originally used to describe diagnostic errors for individuals with mental retardation, it has since been applied to other diagnoses and situations. |
Smith, Glass, and Miller’s (1980) meta-analysis of studies investigating the outcomes of psychotherapy found that, at the end of therapy, the average client “is better off than ___ percent of those who need therapy but remain untreated.” a. 50 b. 65 c. 80 d. 95 | c. 80 Smith, Glass, and Miller’s meta-analysis (1980) included 475 outcome studies published between 1941 and 1976 and produced an effect size of .85, which means that the mean for the treatment groups was .85 standard deviations above the mean for the control (no treatment) groups – or, put another way, the average treated patient was better off than about 80% of those who needed treatment but did not receive it. |
Research on Helms’s White Racial Identity Development Model has found that a white therapist is most effective when working with clients from culturally-diverse groups when the therapist is in which of the following stages? a. identity integration b. internalization c. reintegration d. autonomy | d. Autonomy Not surprisingly, the research has found that a white therapist is most effective in cross-cultural counseling situations when the therapist is in the final stage of identity development – i.e., the autonomy stage. |
A therapist adopting an etic approach: a. believes that psychological principles are universally applicable. b. views different cultures in relativistic terms. c. focuses on environmental factors that affect individual functioning. d. is equally comfortable in multiple cultures. | a. believes that psychological principles are universally applicable Etic is contrasted with emic. The former refers to universal (culture-general) approaches, while the latter refers to culture-specific approaches. |
According to Berry’s acculturation model, a member of a culturally-diverse (minority) group is exhibiting marginalization when she or he: a. has rejected the mainstream (dominant) culture. b. has rejected her/his own minority culture. c. is uninvolved in both the mainstream and minority culture. d. is highly involved in the minority culture but uninvolved in the mainstream culture. | c. is uninvolved in both the mainstream and minority culture Berry describes acculturation in terms of two independent dimensions: involvement in one’s minority culture and involvement in the mainstream (majority) culture. A marginalized person is uninvolved in both cultures. |
According to Cross, an African-American adult in which of the following stages of identity development is likely to say that racial oppression is not a contributor to his problems and that he prefers to see a white therapist? a. disintegration b. pre-encounter c. emersion d. pseudo-independence | b. pre-encounter Cross’s Nigrescence Identity Development Model distinguishes between four stages – pre-encounter, encounter, immersion-emersion, and internalization. According to this model, race has low salience for people in the pre-encounter stage. African-Americans in this stage are likely to deny the existence of racism and to prefer a white therapist. |
During the first therapy session with a White female therapist, an African American male client says he’s concerned that he’ll feel uncomfortable talking about racial issues in therapy since she’s not African American. In response, the therapist says, “I understand how you feel. As a woman, I’ve also experienced discrimination.” As described by Sue and his colleagues (2007), the therapist’s response is an example of which of the following? a. diagnostic overshadowing b. microaggression c. cultural encapsulation d. ethnocentrism | b. microaggression Sue and his colleagues define racial microaggression as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group” (p. 273). They also distinguish between three types of microaggression: microassaults (explicit racial aggression that involves a violent verbal or nonverbal attack), microinsults (behaviors and verbal remarks or comments that are insensitive and demean the person’s racial heritage or identity), and microinvalidation (verbal comments and behaviors that negate or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiences of a person of color). The therapist’s response to the client’s comment is an example of a microinvalidation. (Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice, American Psychologist, 62, 271-286, 2007). |
According to Sue (1978), most middle-class European Americans have: a. an internal locus of control and an internal locus of responsibility. b. an internal locus of control and an external locus of responsibility. c. an external locus of control and an internal locus of responsibility. d. an external locus of control and an external locus of responsibility. | a. an internal locus of control and an internal locus of responsibility. Sue (1978) describes a person’s worldview in terms of two dimensions – locus of control and locus of responsibility According to Sue, most middle-class European Americans have an internal locus of control and an internal locus of responsibility and, consequently, value personal responsibility and success and attribute their successes to their own efforts. |