Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 Answers to Evaluate Questions 
1.
d; 2.
a; 
3.
deviation fr
om the ideal; 4.
d; 
5.
b
512 Chapter 
15 
Psychological Disorders
feL82795_ch15_500-541.indd Page 512 8/6/10 9:37 PM user-f465
feL82795_ch15_500-541.indd Page 512 8/6/10 9:37 PM user-f465
/Users/user-f465/Desktop
/Users/user-f465/Desktop

---

513
Sally experienced her fi rst panic attack out of the blue, 3 weeks after completing her 
senior year in college. She had just fi nished a job interview and was meeting some 
friends for dinner. In the restaurant, she began to feel dizzy. Within a few seconds, her 
heart was pounding, and she was feeling breathless, as though she might pass out. Her 
friends noticed that she did not look well and offered to drive her home. Sally sug-
gested they stop at the hospital emergency room instead. Although she felt better by the 
time they arrived at the hospital, and tests indicated nothing wrong, Sally experienced a 
similar episode a week later while at a movie. . . . 
Her attacks became more and more frequent. Before long, she was having several 
attacks per week. In addition, she constantly worried about having attacks. She began 
to avoid exercise and other activities that produced physical sensations. She also noticed 
the attacks were worse when she was alone. She began to avoid driving, shopping in 
large stores, and eating in all restaurants. Some weeks she avoided leaving the house 
completely. (Antony, Brown, & Barlow, 1992, p. 79) 
Sally suffered from panic disorder, one of the specifi c psychological disorders we’ll 
consider in this module. Keep in mind that although we’ll be discussing these dis-
orders objectively, each represents a very human set of diffi culties that infl uence and 
in some cases considerably disrupt people’s lives.
Anxiety Disorders
All of us at one time or another experience anxiety, a feeling of apprehension or ten-
sion, in reaction to stressful situations. There is nothing “wrong” with such anxiety. 
It is a normal reaction to stress that often helps rather than hinders our daily function-
ing. Without some anxiety, for instance, most of us probably would not have much 
motivation to study hard, undergo physical exams, or spend long hours at our jobs. 
But some people experience anxiety in situations in which there is no external 
reason or cause for such distress. When anxiety occurs without external justifi cation 
and begins to affect people’s daily functioning, mental health professionals consider 
it a psychological problem known as  anxiety disorder  . We’ll discuss the four major 
types of anxiety disorders: phobic disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety dis-
order, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.