Latest Terms Added
-
Integrity-versus-despair
Erik Erikson defined the final stage of his psychosocial development theory as integrity vs despair. Integrating Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, this stage, which spans the final stages of one’s life, focuses on self-reflection, determining whether they have lived a life of value and whether it was meaningful. Erikson describes integrity as a stage in life…
-
Psychology
Psychology involves the study of behavior and mental processes. More precisely, psychology is the study of individuals and how they think, feel, and act in a range of different contexts. In addition to studying behaviors, the discipline looks at thoughts, emotions, and motivations. Understanding human development and functioning psychology draws on biological, cognitive, social, and…
-
Consciousness
Consciousness can be understood as the awareness of oneself, one’s thoughts, feelings, and the environment as a whole. From a psychological standpoint, it can be viewed as the overarching sequence of subjective flow in the outline of experiences determining the viewpoint with which a person analyzes the world. The construct of consciousness encompasses a wide…
-
Detachment
Detachment is a mental condition or mechanism where a person separates themselves emotionally from a person or situation or internal feelings. It can work or function in both constructive and unconstructive (adaptive or maladaptive) ways. In terms of positive detachment, a person is able to stay objective, set appropriate boundaries, and control the regulatory emotions…
-
Stigma
Stigma encompasses the negative attitudes and social disapprovals directed toward individuals or groups based on attributes considered negative in society. In psychology, stigma encompasses self-perception and influences behaviors and mental health outcomes on varying levels. It involves labeling, stereotyping, and discrimination, often leading to social exclusion and internalized shame. Stigma discouraging people with mental illnesses…
-
Necrophilia
Necrophilia is an uncommon and extreme paraphilia involving a profound sexual interest in a dead body. Psychologically speaking, it is less a moral concern and more a problem of pathological behavior indicative of emotional scars, attachment issues, or a personality disorder. Some scholars break down necrophilia to a genuine necrophilic attraction and an opportunistic approach…
-
Pathology
Pathological psychology focuses on studying the onset, expression, and impact of mental and behavioral disorders on an individual. In psychology, pathology is concerned with negative behavioral and emotional patterns that are ongoing and inflict dysfunction on an individual’s life. Conditions such as major depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are all recognized psychological pathologies. Pathology encompasses…
-
Bystander-effect
A bystander observes a situation that requires assistance, but the presence of others causes the bystander to hesitate. Contributing factors to this phenomenon include a lack of a sense of moral obligation, responsibility diffusion, and social influence. Notably, social influence can lead to the bystander effect due to inaction by other observers. Key studies by…
-
Coping-strategy
Coping strategy is defined as the various techniques an individual employs in an attempt to minimize the bodily or psychological stress a situation may invoke. These techniques help soothe and alleviate the stress posed by an internal and external stressful situation by controlling the physiology as well as the psychology. Psychologists have partitioned coping strategies…
-
Incongruence
Incongruence is the psychological condition wherein the self-image of an individual differs from his or her experiences, behaviors, or feelings. This concept was pivotal in the works of Carl Rogers, who is renowned for his humanistic approach, in which the real self and the ideal self have to be in congruence. Incongruence is troublesome for…
-
Responsiveness
The term responsiveness encompasses recognition and understanding of a wide array of stimuli, internal and external, and successfully responding to them. These stimuli include the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of others. In psychology, the concept of responsiveness gains prominence in the discussions and analyses of ‘relationships,’ ‘development,’ and therapy. Being psychologically responsive suggests attunement to…
-
Nature
In psychology, the term ‘nature’ denotes the impact of genetic, biological, and hereditary components on an individual’s behavior, personality, and mental processes. This concept only addresses part of the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate, which discusses the extent to which human traits are a product of biological inheritance as opposed to environmental factors. Nature includes elements…
-
Reframing
Reframing involves modifying the interpretation of a particular thought, situation, or experience, which in turn changes its emotional effects, rather than changing the outside situation, reframing changing internal attitudes and meanings. For example, one can think of a failure in one’s personal growth, which diminishes negative feelings and increases one’s motivation, rather than thinking of…
-
Construct
A psychological construct serves the purpose of illustrating and quantifying a specific mental process, be it a thought, feeling, or behavior. Since a number of such mental processes, such as intelligence, self-esteem, or anxiety, are not overtly observable, psychologists must create constructs in order to study them. Constructs serve as mental instruments that facilitate the…
-
Perspective
A perspective is an individual’s way of interpreting experiences and mentally organizing them shaping her/his perception of self, other individuals, and the world. Within the individual’s mind, it is an integral part of the higher mental activities of reasoning, decision making, and the control of emotions. A perspective is the result of interplay of experiences,…
-
Ambiguity
Ambiguity describes the inability to grasp the exact meaning of a stimulus or information. From the perspective of psychology, ambiguous situations, or phenomena, tend to invoke increased cognitive effort in an attempt to “solve” the uncertain stimulus. Tolerance of ambiguity differs from person to person; some find it interesting, while others tolerate it the sensation…
-
Pseudopsychology
Pseudopsychology is the use of practices and systems which claim to use psychological components but is not proven to use rigorous methodology and is unscientific. Some of the more well-known examples include astrology, phrenology, and unsupported and unproven personality tests. Without rigorous examination, pseudopsychology may seem reliable but is overly dependent on anecdotal proof, ambiguous…
-
Neuron
A neuron is a nerve cell which is configured to receive, interpret, and transmit information along with other cells through electrical and chemical impulses. Every neuron has a cell body, an axon which sends messages to other neurons, muscles, or glands and one or more branching dendrites. It is a complex and interconnected web of…
-
Arousal
Arousal means heightened alertness both psychologically and physiologically. The concept of arousal is widely and commonly used to measure the level of sexual excitement or in other sexual contexts, there is pronounced attention to motivation and emotional performance activities. Sustained moderate levels of arousal, in moderate doses, are shown to aid focusing and increase efficiency…
-
Romantic-love
Romantic love is more than just a simple feeling. It encompasses powerful emotions, devotion, longing, and connection to someone. It is one of the most fascinating psychological and emotional states. In psychology, love is described as passionate and companionate. Passionate love is infatuation trained to high admiration and emotional rollers, while companionate love is established…