Latest Terms Added
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Dionysian
Dionysian is a psychological state or behavior that is predominantly characterized as instinctive, passionate, uncontrolled, spontaneous, and devoid of reason or moderation. The expression is taken from Nietzsche’s conceptual contrast of the Dionysian and the Apollonian mind. The Dionysian metaphorically and literally represents the chaotic and passionate, as well as the constructive and emotional aspects…
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Catastrophize
Catastrophising means thinking the worst will happen, and it often entails imagining worst case scenarios which tend to be worse than the underlying situation. In psychology, catastrophising is a cognitive distortion associated with anxiety and clinically concerning depression and stress disorders. It entails the overthinking of untold worst case scenarios as well as the complete…
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Communal-relationship
Communal relationships are psychological bonds in which parties participate in giving and receiving based on mutual concern rather than on expectation of equality of exchange. Relationships of this kind are primary in care, trust, and affective ties in close friendships, family, and romantic relationships. In contrast with exchange relationships which are more utilitarian in nature,…
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Sociological-factors
Sociological factors are the social influences that impact the behavior, cognition, and feelings of individuals. These include the family unit, socialization, schooling, social stratification, religion, and many others. In psychology, sociological factors are examined to determine the influence the sociological sphere has on personality growth, mental well-being, and the problem-solving process. They are fundamental to…
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Sadism
Sadism involves the gratification gained from the infliction of pain, humiliation, or domination and associated pleasure from those painful experiences. Though in clinical psychology it can manifest within one’s personality or within their sexual behavior, in its more extreme forms, it results in causing suffering and distress, in which case it becomes classified as a…
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Intelligence
In psychology, intelligence describes the capabilities of learning, reasoning, problem solving, and adapting to different circumstances. This comprises both the mental and practical dimensions of skills such as memory, understanding, problem solving, and imagination. The study of psychology examines theories of intelligence such as Gardner’s multiple intelligences and Spearman’s general intelligence. The use of intelligence…
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Humanism
The branch of psychology which focuses on the growth, free will, and potential of the individual is called humanism. Its emergence was a response to behaviorism and psychoanalysis, and thus it focuses on conscious experience, and neither on the drives of the unconscious nor on conditioned behavior. Humanistic psychologists, like Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow,…
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Sex-characteristic
Sex characteristics are the biological and physical features which differentiate between females and males. There are primary and secondary characteristics. The primary characteristic pertains to the reproductive organs while the secondary develops during puberty, such as body hair and voice changes. In psychology, contemplating sex characteristics sheds light on gender development, identity, and behavior. Alongside,…
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Etiology
Psychological etiology pertains to the causes and origins of behavioral conditions and disorders. By studying etiology, psychologists identify biological, psychological and sociological elements that lead to conditions like depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia. Their understanding also informs treatment and prevention. Etiological studies often emphasize the interplay of genetics, brain structure, lived experience, and surrounding pressures to…
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Dichromatism
Dichromatism represents one of the more benign forms of colour vision deficiency, where an individual perceives only two of the primary colours, instead of three. Such a condition, in both a psychological and neurological sense, arises when one of the three cone photoreceptors (red, green, or blue) is either absent or not functioning. While it…
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Generativity-versus-stagnation
Generativity versus stagnation is the seventh stage in Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, normally categorized as the middle adulthood stage. Generativity is defined as the sense of creating or nurturing new living things and caring for them. This can be done through parenting, coaching, or even community service. Stagnation, on the other hand, is characterized…
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First-impression
A first impression is created within the time it takes to describe it. Psychologically, one’s first impression takes into account physical presentation, posture, gestures, prosody, and behavior, most often within a few moments. First impressions reserved for subsequent interactions heavily rely on cognitive biases, predominantly the halo effect, where one positive trait leads to a…
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Decompensation
In psychology, ‘decompensation’ implies an individual’s mental or emotional equilibrium has broken down, usually caused by strain or intrapsychic conflict. It occurs when an individual has exhausted all their coping mechanisms regarding anxiety, trauma, or psychiatric symptoms. Decompensation can result in extreme emotional distress, psychosocial withdrawal, or even a psychotic episode. Knowledge of this process…
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Complex-emotion
Complex emotion incorporates fundamental emotional responses along with higher-order cognitive functions like self-reflection, social insight, and moral reasoning. Guilt, pride, jealousy, and shame are all emotions that involve cognitive evaluation and relational understanding, whether within interpersonal connections or social structures. Within the realm of psychology, complex emotions facilitate the study of empathy and the development…
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Generalizability
Generalizability is the extent to which the results of a psychological study pertain to other people, contexts, or situations that were not part of the original research. It examines the external validity of research findings. High generalizability implies that the results of the study are likely to reflect real-world behavior. In contrast, low generalizability limits…
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Self-control
Self-control is a term employed to discuss the ability to restrain one’s emotional, impulsive, and behavioral responses in pursuit of a sustained goal. This entails the need to postpone rewards, control one’s anxiety, and overcome various kinds of temptations. To psychologists, self-control is envisaged as a skill within the framework of executive functioning, willpower, and…
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Gender-identity
A gender identity is an integral part of an individual’s psychological being. It consists of various relational facets of being masculine or feminine or even both or neither. It also includes more complex psychological gender identities that span across a gender spectrum. The development of a psychological gender identity is a complex interplay of biological…
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Cue
A cue in psychology is defined as an internal or an external stimulus which elicits a particular behavior, recollection, or reaction. Cues are vital to the processes of learning, conditioning, and the recollection of memories. Some of the constituent parts of a cue which evokes a particular reaction are a sensory stimulus, a piece of…
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Euthymia
Euthymia is defined as a balanced, stable, and moderate mood, as a person is neither overly happy nor overly sad. In clinical psychology, euthymia indicates optimal emotional and psychological health, while also being the goal of psychotherapy directed at mood disorders, particularly bipolar disorder. A euthymic individual feels emotional responses proportionate to the happenings of…
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Falsifiability
Falsifiability refers to the ability of a theory in a scientific discipline or a hypothesis to be proven false or invalidated. In psychology, this means that the evidence and experimentation to support a theory must also include evidence and experimentation to refute the theory. Karl Popper, a philosopher, emphasised the importance of this concept in…