Psychology 101 Final Exam

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B. Childhood experiences, such as trauma and attachment issues, can indeed have a profound impact on adult psychopathology. These experiences can shape an individual's psychological development, influencing their mental health and well-being throughout their life. Choice A is incorrect as research shows that childhood experiences do play a significant role in adult psychopathology. Choice C is also incorrect as there is evidence supporting the link between childhood experiences and adult psychopathology. Choice D is incorrect because childhood experiences can have more than just a minimal impact on adult psychopathology; they can be quite substantial.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: John Bowlby's attachment theory emphasized the quality of parental care in forming attachments. This is because Bowlby believed that a child's early experiences with their primary caregiver, especially the quality of care and responsiveness received, significantly influence the child's ability to form secure attachments. Choice A is incorrect because while the social environment plays a role, Bowlby's theory focused more on the caregiver-child relationship. Choice C is incorrect as it does not capture the central role of parental care highlighted in Bowlby's theory. Choice D is also incorrect as Bowlby's theory actually emphasized the importance of a secure attachment to parental figures for healthy emotional development.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Castration anxiety is a concept specific to the Phallic stage in psychoanalytic theory, according to Sigmund Freud. During the Phallic stage, children experience the Oedipus complex (boys) and Electra complex (girls), where they develop unconscious desires for the opposite-sex parent and fear castration by the same-sex parent. This anxiety is a crucial aspect of the Phallic stage, making it the correct answer. The other stages (Genital, Oral, and Anal) do not directly involve castration anxiety and focus on different aspects of psychosexual development.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: According to Freud's theory of psychosexual development, if a person does not resolve a particular stage successfully, they become fixated at that stage. This fixation can lead to behavior patterns characteristic of that stage in later life. In this context, 'defended' is incorrect because it does not align with Freud's theory of fixation. 'Repressed' is not the correct choice as it refers to the unconscious suppression of thoughts or desires. 'Displaced' involves redirecting emotions from their original source to a substitute target, which is not the concept Freud associated with unresolved psychosexual stages.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Cross-cultural research on stress demonstrates that responses to stress vary cross-culturally. Choice A is incorrect because depression being a common response in all countries studied is not supported by cross-cultural research findings. Choice B is incorrect as it generalizes that stress rarely leads to illness in non-Western cultures, which is not universally true. Choice D is incorrect as culture-specific reactions can indeed respond to alterations in the environment, as observed in various cross-cultural studies.