AP®PsychologyCollege BoardExam QuestionsMental & Physical HealthExplaining & Classifying Psychological Disorders

Explaining & Classifying Psychological Disorders (College Board AP® Psychology): Exam Questions

2 mins2 questions
1
1 mark

A clinical psychologist diagnoses a patient using multiple perspectives. She considers biological factors (family history of depression, sleep disruption), cognitive factors (negative thought patterns), and social factors (recent job loss, lack of social support). She integrates information from all three perspectives to develop a comprehensive understanding of the patient's condition before recommending treatment.

Which of the following best describes the psychologist's diagnostic approach?

  • Categorical classification

  • Specialized training

  • Eclectic approach

  • Cultural humility

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

A 28-year-old woman reports feeling persistently sad and hopeless. She has difficulty concentrating at work and has called in sick several times over the past month. She describes her emotional pain as unbearable. However, her behavior does not violate any social norms as she maintains her appearance, continues to see friends occasionally, and follows cultural expectations. A psychologist considers whether her presentation meets the criteria for a psychological disorder.

Which of the following best explains why the psychologist would likely classify this presentation as a disorder despite the absence of social deviance?

  • Deviance is the primary criterion for diagnosing psychological disorders, so the absence of deviance rules out disorder

  • Distress and dysfunction are sufficient to define a psychological disorder, even without deviance

  • The woman's occasional socializing proves she is not experiencing dysfunction, so no disorder is present

  • Cultural context determines whether sadness counts as a disorder, and Western cultures do not classify sadness as disordered

Choose your answer