ABAB design. An experimental design, often Adjustment disorder.

A disorder in which a person’s

involving a single subject, wherein a baseline period response to a common stressor is maladaptive and
(A) is followed by a treatment (B). To confirm that occurs within 3 months of the stressor.
the treatment resulted in a change in behavior, the
Adjustment disorder with depressed mood.
treatment is then withdrawn (A) and reinstated (B).
Moderately severe mood disorder that is similar to
Abnormal behavior. Maladaptive behavior dysthymic disorder but has an identifiable, though
detrimental to an individual or a group. Abnormal not severe, psychosocial stressor occurring within 3
psychology. Field of psychology concerned with the months before the onset of depression and does not
study, assessment, treatment, and prevention of exceed 6 months in duration.
abnormal behavior.
Adoption method. Comparison of biological and
Abstinence. Refraining altogether from the use of a adoptive relatives with and without a given disorder
particular addictive substance or from a particular to assess genetic versus environmental influences.
behavior.
Adrenal cortex. Outer layer of the adrenal glands;
Accommodation. Cognitive process of changing secretes the adrenal steroids and other hormones.
existing cognitive frameworks to make possible the
Adrenal glands. Endocrine glands located at the
incorporation of discrepant information.
upper end of the kidneys; consist of inner adrenal
Acting out. Ego-defense mechanism of engaging in medulla and outer adrenal cortex.
antisocial or excessive behavior without regard to
Adrenaline. Hormone secreted by the adrenal
negative consequences as a way of dealing with
medulla during strong emotion; causes such bodily
emotional stress.
changes as an increase in blood sugar and a rise in
Activation (arousal). Energy mobilization required blood pressure. Also called epinephrine.
for an organism to pursue its goals and meet its
Aggression. Behavior aimed at hurting or destroying
needs.
someone or something. Agitation. Marked
Actuarial approach. Application of probability restlessness and psychomotor excitement.
statistics to human behavior.
Agoraphobia. Fear of being in places or situations
Actuarial procedures. Methods whereby data about where a panic attack may occur and from which
subjects are analyzed by objective procedures or escape would be physically difficult or
formulas rather than by human judgments. psychologically embarrassing, or in which immediate
help would be unavailable in the event that some
Acute. Term used to describe a disorder of sudden
mishap occurred.
onset, usually with intense symptoms.
AIDS-dementia complex (ADC). Generalized loss of
Acute stress disorder. Disorder that occurs within 4
cognitive functioning that eventually affects a
weeks after a traumatic event and lasts for a
substantial proportion of AIDS patients.
minimum of 2 days and a maximum of 4 weeks.
Alarm and mobilization. Selye’s first stage of
Adderall. A habit-forming drug comprised of a
responding to trauma, alerting and mobilizing a
combination of dextroamphetamine and
person’s resources for coping with the trauma.
amphetamine.
Alcohol withdrawal delirium. Acute delirium
Addictive behavior. Behavior based on the
associated with withdrawal from alcohol after
pathological need for a substance or activity; it may
prolonged heavy consumption; characterized by
involve the abuse of substances, such as nicotine,
intense anxiety, tremors, fever and sweating, and
alcohol, or cocaine, or gambling.
hallucinations.
Adjustment. Outcome of a person’s efforts to deal
with stress and meet his or her needs.
Alcoholic. A term used to characterize a person who silicate and abnormal protein (beta amyloid) are
is addicted to alcohol. believed to cause loss of neurons.

Alcoholism. Dependence on alcohol that seriously Anal stage. In psychoanalytic theory, stage of
interferes with life adjustment. psychosexual development in which behavior is
presumably focused on anal pleasure and activities.
Alexithymia. Term used to denote a personality
pattern in which an individual has difficulty Analogue studies. Studies in which a researcher
identifying and describing feelings. attempts to emulate the conditions hypothesized as
leading to abnormality.
Alienation. Lack or loss of relationships with others.
Androgen. Hormone associated with the
Allostatic load. The biological cost of adapting to
development and maintenance of male
stress. Under conditions of high stress our allostatic
characteristics.
load is high. When we are calm, our allostatic load is
low and our bodies are not experiencing any of the Anesthesia. Loss or impairment of sensitivity (usually
physiological consequences of stress (e.g., racing to touch but often applied to sensitivity to pain and
heart, high levels of cortisol, etc.). other senses as well).

Alogia. A term referring to poverty of speech; a Anhedonia. Inability to experience pleasure or joy.
symptom that often occurs in schizophrenia. Alter
Anorexia nervosa. Intense fear of gaining weight or
identities. In a person with dissociative identity
becoming “fat” coupled with refusal to maintain
disorder, personalities other than the host
adequate nutrition and with severe loss of body
personality.
weight.
Alzheimer’s disease. A progressive and fatal
Anoxia. Lack of sufficient oxygen.
neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by
deterioration in memory, cognition, and basic self- Antabuse. Drug used in the treatment of alcoholism.
care skills.
Anterograde amnesia. Loss of memory for events
Amnesia. Total or partial loss of memory. that occur following trauma or shock.
Amnestic disorder. Striking deficit in the ability to Antianxiety drugs. Drugs that are used primarily for
recall ongoing events more than a few minutes after alleviating anxiety.
they have taken place, or the inability to recall the
recent past. Antibody. Circulating blood substance coded for
detection of and binding to a particular antigen.
Amniocentesis. Technique that involves drawing
fluid from the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman so Antidepressant drugs. Drugs that are used primarily
that sloughed-off fetal cells can be examined for to elevate mood and relieve depression. Often also
chromosomal irregularities, including that of Down used in the treatment of certain anxiety disorders,
syndrome. bulimia, and certain personality disorders.

Amphetamine. Drug that produces a psychologically Antigen. A foreign body (e.g., a virus or bacteria) or
stimulating and energizing effect. an internal threat (e.g., a tumor) that can trigger an
immune response.
Amygdala. A collection of nuclei that are almond
shaped and that lie in front of the hippocampus in Antipsychotics (neuroleptics). Medications that
the limbic system of the brain. It is involved in the alleviate or diminish the intensity of psychotic
regulation of emotion and is critically involved in the symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions.
emotion of fear.
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Disorder
Amyloid plaques. Found in the brains of people with characterized by continual violation of and disregard
Alzheimer’s disease, these deposits of aluminum for the rights of others through deceitful, aggressive,
or antisocial behavior, typically without remorse or known to be located on particular chromosomes in
loyalty to anyone. people with and without a particular disorder.

Anxiety. A general feeling of apprehension about Asylums. Historically, these were institutions meant
possible danger. solely for the care of the mentally ill.

Anxiety disorder. An unrealistic, irrational fear or At risk. Condition of being considered vulnerable to
anxiety of disabling intensity. DSM-IV-TR recognizes the development of certain abnormal behaviors.
seven types of anxiety disorders: phobic disorders Atrophy. Wasting away or shrinking of a bodily
(specific or social), panic disorder (with or without organ, particularly muscle tissue.
agoraphobia), generalized anxiety disorder,
Attachment theory. Contemporary developmental
obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic
and psychodynamic theory emphasizing the
stress disorder.
importance of early experience with attachment
Anxiety sensitivity. A personality trait involving a relationships in laying the foundation for later
high level of belief that certain bodily symptoms may functioning throughout life.
have harmful consequences.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Aphasia. Loss or impairment of ability to Disorder of childhood characterized by difficulties
communicate and understand language symbols— that interfere with task-oriented behavior, such as
involving loss of power of expression by speech, impulsivity, excessive motor activity, and difficulties
writing, or signs, or loss of ability to comprehend in sustaining attention.
written or spoken language— resulting from brain
Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome. Characterized by
injury or disease.
psychotic-like symptoms that are less severe and
APOE-4 allele. Variant of a gene on chromosome 19 more transient and that lie below the threshold for a
that significantly enhances risk for late-onset full psychotic disorder.
Alzheimer’s disease.
Attribution. Process of assigning causes to things
Apraxia. Loss of ability to perform purposeful that happen.
movements.
Autism. Pervasive developmental disorder beginning
Asperger’s disorder. Severe and sustained childhood in infancy and involving a wide range of problematic
impairment in social relationships and peculiar behaviors, including deficits in language, perception,
behaviors but without the language delays seen in and motor development; defective reality testing;
autism. and social withdrawal.

Assertive community treatment (ACT). Persistent Autogynephilia. Paraphilia characterized by sexual

and vigorous follow-up with and aid to patients in arousal in men at the thought or fantasy of being a
managing life problems. woman.

Assertiveness therapy. Behavior therapy technique Autonomic nervous system. Section of the nervous
for helping people become more self-assertive in system that regulates the internal organs; consists
interpersonal relationships. primarily of ganglia connected with the brain stem
and spinal cord; may be subdivided into the
Assimilation. Cognitive process whereby new
sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
experiences tend to be worked into existing
Autonomic reactivity. Individual’s characteristic
cognitive frameworks even if the new information
degree of emotional reactivity to stress.
has to be reinterpreted or distorted to make it fit.
Autonomy. Self-reliance; the sense of being an
Association studies. Genetic research strategy
independent person.
comparing frequency of certain genetic markers
Autosome. Any chromosome other than those work together to help the patient find ways to
determining sex. become more active and engaged with life.

Aversion therapy. Form of behavior therapy in Behavioral contracting. Positive reinforcement

which punishment or aversive stimulation is used to technique using a contract, often between family
eliminate undesired responses. members, to identify the behaviors to be changed
and to specify privileges and responsibilities.
Aversive stimulus. Stimulus that elicits psychic or
physical pain. Behavioral medicine. Broad interdisciplinary
approach to the treatment of physical disorders
Avoidance learning. Form of conditioning in which a
thought to have psychological factors as major
subject learns to behave in a certain way in order to
aspects in their causation or maintenance.
avoid an unpleasant stimulus.
Behavioral perspective. A theoretical viewpoint
Avoidant personality disorder. Extreme social
organized around the theme that learning is central
inhibition and introversion, hypersensitivity to
in determining human behavior.
criticism and rejection, limited social relationships,
and low self-esteem. Behavioral sciences. Various interrelated disciplines,
including psychology, sociology, and anthropology,
Avolition. Refers to a psychological state that is
that focus on human behavior.
characterized by a general lack of drive or motivation
to pursue meaningful goals. Behaviorism. School of psychology that formerly
restricted itself primarily to the study of overt
Axes (of DSM). Evaluation of an individual according
behavior.
to five foci, the first three assessing the person’s
present clinical status or condition and the other two Benign. Of a mild, self-limiting nature; not malignant.
assessing broader aspects of the person’s situation.
Bias. Observer bias occurs when the researcher has
Barbiturates. Synthetic drugs that act as depressants preconceived ideas and expectations that influence
to calm the individual and induce sleep. the observations, he or she makes in the research
study.
Baseline. The initial level of responses emitted by an
organism. Binge. An out-of-control consumption of an amount
of food that is far greater than what most people
B-cell. A type of white blood cell, produced in the
would eat in the same amount of time and under the
bone marrow, that is (along with T-cells) very
same circumstances.
important in the immune system. B-cells produce
specific antibodies in response to specific antigens. Binge-eating disorder (BED). Distinct from non-
purging bulimia nervosa, whereby binging is not
Behavior genetics. Field that studies the heritability
accompanied by inappropriate compensatory
of mental disorders and other aspects of
behavior to limit weight gain.
psychological functioning such as personality and
intelligence. Biofeedback. Treatment technique in which a person
is taught to influence his or her own physiological
Behavior modification. Change of specific behaviors
processes that were formerly thought to be
by learning techniques.
involuntary.
Behavior therapy. Use of therapeutic procedures
Biogenic amines. Chemicals that serve as
based primarily on principles of classical and operant
neurotransmitters or modulators.
conditioning.
Biological clocks. Regular biological cycles of sleep,
Behavioral activation treatment. Treatment for
activity, hormone activity, and metabolism
depression in which the patient and the therapist
characteristic of each species.
Biological viewpoint. Approach to mental disorders Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Objective
emphasizing biological causation. method of rating clinical symptoms that provides
scores on 18 variables (e.g., somatic concern,
Biopsychosocial viewpoint. A viewpoint that
anxiety, withdrawal, hostility, and bizarre thinking).
acknowledges the interacting roles of biological,
psychosocial, and sociocultural factors in the origins Brief psychotherapy. Short-term therapy, usually 8
of psychopathology. to 10 sessions, focused on restoring an individual’s
functioning and offering emotional support. Brief
Bipolar disorder with a seasonal pattern. Bipolar
psychotic disorder.
disorder with recurrences in particular seasons of
the year. Brief episodes (lasting a month or less) of otherwise
uncomplicated delusional thinking.
Bipolar disorders. Mood disorders in which a person
experiences both manic and depressive episodes. Bulimia nervosa. Frequent occurrence of binge
eating episodes accompanied by a sense of loss of
Bipolar I disorder. A form of bipolar disorder in
control of overeating and recurrent inappropriate
which the person experiences both manic (or mixed)
behavior such as purging or excessive exercise to
episodes and major depressive episodes.
prevent weight gain.
Bipolar II disorder. A form of bipolar disorder in
Caffeine. A drug of dependence found in many
which the person experiences both hypomanic
commonly available drinks and foods.
episodes and major depressive episodes.
Candidate genes. Genes that are of specific interest
Bisexuality. Sexual attraction to both females and
to researchers because they are thought to be
males.
involved in processes that are known to be aberrant
Blocking. Involuntary inhibition of recall, ideation, or in that disorder (e.g., serotonin transporter genes in
communication (including sudden stoppage of depression, or dopamine receptor genes in
speech). schizophrenia).

Blood-injection-injury phobia. Persistent and Cardiovascular. Pertaining to the heart and blood
disproportionate fear of the sight of blood or injury, vessels.
or the possibility of having an injection. Afflicted
Case study method. An in-depth examination of an
persons are likely to experience a drop in blood
individual or family that draws from a number of
pressure and sometimes faint.
data sources, including interviews and psychological
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Obsession with testing.
some perceived flaw or flaws in one’s appearance.
Castrating. Refers to any source of injury to the
Body mass index (BMI). An estimation of total body genitals, or, more broadly, to a threat to the
fat calculated as body weight in kilograms divided by masculinity of an individual.
height (in meters) squared.
Castration anxiety. As postulated by Freud, the
Borderline personality disorder (BPD). Impulsivity anxiety a young boy experiences when he desires his
and instability in interpersonal relationships, self- mother while at the same time fearing that his father
image, and moods. may harm him by cutting of his penis; this anxiety
forces the boy to repress his sexual desire for his
Brain pathology. Diseased or disordered condition of mother and his hostility toward his father
the brain. Brain waves. Minute oscillations of
electrical potential given off by neurons in the CAT scan. See Computerized axial tomography (CAT)
cerebral cortex and measured by the scan.
electroencephalograph (EEG).
Catalepsy. Condition seen in some schizophrenic
psychoses, and some psychotic mood disorders, in
which body postures are waxy and semirigid, with Cerebrum. Main part of the brain; divided into left
the limbs maintaining for prolonged periods any and right hemispheres.
position in which they are placed.
Child abuse. Infliction of physical or psychological
Catatonic schizophrenia. See Schizophrenia, damage on a child by parents or other adults.
catatonic type.
Child advocacy. Movement concerned with
Catecholamines. Class of monoamine compounds protecting rights and ensuring well-being of children.
sharing a similar chemical structure. Known to be
Chorea. Pathological condition characterized by
neurotransmitters—norepinephrine and dopamine.
jerky, irregular, involuntary movements. See also
Categorical approach. Approach to classifying Huntington’s disease.
abnormal behavior that assumes that (1) all human
Chromosomal anomalies. Inherited defects or
behavior can be sharply divided into the categories
vulnerabilities caused by irregularities in
normal and abnormal, and (2) there exist discrete,
chromosomes.
nonoverlapping classes or types of abnormal
behavior, often referred to as mental illnesses or Chromosomes. Chain-like structures within cell
diseases. nucleus that contain genes.
Catharsis. Discharge of emotional tension Chronic. Term used to describe a long-standing or
associated with something, such as by talking about frequently recurring disorder, often with progressing
past traumas. seriousness.
Causal pattern. In a cause-and-effect relationship, a Chronic fatigue syndrome. A debilitating illness
situation in which more than one causal factor is characterized by disabling fatigue that lasts 6 months
involved. or more and occurs with other symptoms.
Causation. Relationship in which the preceding Chronic major depressive disorder. A disorder in
variable causes the other(s). which a major depressive episode does not remit
over a 2-year period.
Central nervous system (CNS). The brain and spinal
cord. Chronic schizophrenic. A schizophrenic patient
whose condition has deteriorated or remained stable
Cerebral arteriosclerosis. Hardening of the arteries
over a long period of time (years).
in the brain.
Circadian rhythms. The 24-hour rhythmic
Cerebral cortex. Surface layers of the cerebrum.
fluctuations in animals’ sleep activity and in the
Cerebral hemorrhage. Bleeding into brain tissue metabolic processes of plants and animals. See also
from a ruptured blood vessel. Biological clocks.

Cerebral laceration. Tearing of brain tissue Civil commitment. Procedure whereby a person
associated with severe head injury. certified as mentally disordered can be hospitalized,
either voluntarily or against his or her will.
Cerebral syphilis. Syphilitic infection of the brain.
Classical conditioning. A basic form of learning in
Cerebral thrombosis. Formation of a clot or
which a neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with an
thrombus in the vascular system of the brain.
unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally elicits an
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Blockage or rupture unconditioned response (UR). After repeated
of a large blood vessel in the brain leading to both pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned
focal and generalized impairment of brain function. stimulus (CS) that elicits a conditioned response (CR).
Also called stroke.
Claustrophobia. Irrational fear of small enclosed
places.
Client-centered (person-centered) therapy. Cognitive-behavioral perspective. A theory of
Nondirective approach to psychotherapy, developed abnormal behavior that focuses on how thoughts
chiefly by Carl Rogers, that focuses on the natural and information processing can become distorted
power of the organism to heal itself; a key goal is to and lead to maladaptive emotions and behavior.
help clients accept and be themselves.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Therapy based
Clinical diagnosis. The process through which a on altering dysfunctional thoughts and cognitive
clinician arrives at a general “summary classification” distortions.
of the patient’s symptoms by following a clearly
Collective unconscious. Term used by Carl Jung to
defined system such as DSM-IV-TR or ICD-10.
refer to that portion of the unconscious that he
Clinical picture. Diagnostic picture formed by considered common to all humanity, based on
observation of patient’s behavior or by all available wisdom acquired by our predecessors.
assessment data.
Coma. Profound stupor with unconsciousness.
Clinical problem checklist. Computer administered
Community mental health. Application of
psychological assessment procedure for surveying
psychosocial and sociocultural principles to the
the range of psychological problems a patient is
improvement of given environments.
experiencing.
Community psychology. Use of community
Clinical psychologist. Mental health professional
resources in dealing with maladaptive behavior;
with Ph.D. degree or Psy.D. degree in clinical
tends to be more concerned with community
psychology and clinical experience in assessment and
intervention than with personal or individual change.
psychotherapy.
Comorbidity. Occurrence of two or more identified
Clinical psychology. Field of psychology concerned
disorders in the same psychologically disordered
with the understanding, assessment, treatment, and
individual.
prevention of maladaptive behavior.
Comparison or control group. Group of subjects who
Cocaine. Stimulating and pain-reducing psychoactive
do not exhibit the disorder being studied but who
drug.
are comparable in all other respects to the criterion
Cognition. Act, process, or product of knowing or group. Also, a comparison group of subjects who do
perceiving. not receive a condition or treatment the effects of
which are being studied.
Cognitive dissonance. Condition of tension existing
when several of one’s beliefs and attitudes are Competent to stand trial. The determination that a
inconsistent with each other. person who is charged with a crime has the mental
health capability to participate in the proceedings.
Cognitive processes (cognition). Mental processes,
including perception, memory, and reasoning, by Compulsions. Overt repetitive behaviors (such as
which one acquires knowledge, solves problems, and hand washing or checking) or more covert mental
makes plans. acts (such as counting, praying, saying certain words
silently, or ordering) that a person feels driven to
Cognitive remediation. Training efforts designed to
perform in response to an obsession.
help patients improve their neurocognitive (e.g.,
memory, vigilance) skills. The hope is that this will Compulsive gambling. See Pathological gambling.
also help improve patients’ overall levels of
Computer assessment. Use of computers to obtain
functioning.
or interpret assessment data.
Cognitive restructuring. Cognitive-behavioral
Computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan.
therapy techniques that aim to change a person’s
Radiological technique used to locate and assess the
negative or unrealistic thoughts and attributions.
extent of organic damage to the brain without Contributory cause. A condition that increases the
surgery. probability of developing a disorder but that is
neither necessary nor sufficient for it to occur.
Concordance rate. The percentage of twins sharing a
disorder or trait. Conversion disorder. Pattern in which symptoms of
some physical malfunction or loss of control appear
Conduct disorders. Childhood and adolescent
without any underlying organic pathology; originally
disorders that can appear by age 9 and are marked
called hysteria.
by persistent acts of aggressive or antisocial behavior
that may or may not be against the law. Convulsion. Pathological, involuntary muscle
contractions.
Confabulation. Filling in of memory gaps with false
and often irrelevant details. Coping strategies. Efforts to deal with stress.

Confidentiality. Commitment on part of a Coprolalia. Verbal tic in which an individual utters

professional person to keep information he or she obscenities aloud.
obtains from a client confidential.
Coronary heart disease (CHD). Potentially lethal
Conflict. Simultaneous arousal of opposing impulses, blockage of the arteries supplying blood to the heart
desires, or motives. muscle, or myocardium.

Congenital. Existing at birth or before birth, but not Corpus callosum. Nerve fibers that connect the two
necessarily hereditary. hemispheres of the brain.

Congenital defect. Genetic defect or environmental Correlation. The tendency of two variables to change
condition occurring before birth and causing a child together. With positive correlation, as one variable
to develop a physical or psychological anomaly. goes up, so does the other; with negative
correlation, one variable goes up as the other goes
Conjoint family therapy. Direct involvement of the
down.
family in improving communication, interaction, and
relationships among family members and fostering a Correlation coefficient. A statistic that ranges from
family system that better meets the needs of each +1.0 to –1.0 and reflects the degree of association
member. between two variables. The magnitude of the
correlation indicates the strength of the association,
Consciousness. Awareness of inner or outer
and the sign indicates whether the correlation is
environment.
positive or negative.
Constitution. Relatively constant biological makeup
Correlational method/correlational research. A
of an individual, resulting from the interaction of
research strategy that examines whether and how
heredity and environment.
variables go together (covary) without manipulating
Consultation. Community intervention approach (changing) any variables.
that aims at helping individuals at risk for disorder by
Corticovisceral control mechanisms. Brain
working indirectly through caretaker institutions
mechanisms that regulate autonomic and other
(e.g., police and teachers).
bodily functions.
Contingency. Relationship, usually causal, between
Cortisol. Human stress hormone released by the
two events in which one is usually followed by the
cortex of the adrenal glands.
other.
Counseling psychology. Field of psychology that
Continuous reinforcement. Reward or
focuses on helping people with problems pertaining
reinforcement given regularly after each correct
to education, marriage, or occupation.
response.
Countertransference. Psychodynamic concept that Cytokines. Small protein molecules that enable the
the therapist brings personal issues, based on his or brain and the immune system to communicate with
her own vulnerabilities and conflicts, to the each other. cytokines can augment or enhance an
therapeutic relationship. immune system response or cause
immunosuppression, depending on the specific
Couple therapy. Treatment for disordered
cytokine that is released.
interpersonal relationships involving sessions with
both members of the relationship present and Day hospital. Community-based mental hospital
emphasizing mutual need gratification, social role where patients are treated during the day, returning
expectations, communication patterns, and similar to their homes at night.
interpersonal factors.
Debriefing sessions. Psychological debriefing is a
Covert. Concealed, disguised, not directly brief, directive treatment method that is used in
observable. helping people who have undergone a traumatic
situation. Debriefing sessions are usually conducted
Covert sensitization. Behavioral treatment method
with small groups of trauma victims shortly after the
for extinguishing undesirable behavior by associating
incident for the purpose of helping them deal with
noxious mental images with that behavior.
the emotional residuals of the event.
Criminal responsibility. Legal question of whether a
Defense mechanism. See Ego-defense mechanism.
person should be permitted to use insanity as a
defense after having committed a crime. Defense-oriented response. Behavior directed
primarily at protecting the self from hurt and
Crisis. Stressful situation that approaches or exceeds
disorganization rather than at resolving the situation.
the adaptive capacities of an individual or a group.
Deinstitutionalization. Movement to close mental
Crisis intervention. Provision of psychological help to
hospitals and treat people with severe mental
an individual or a group in times of severe and
disorder in the community.
special stress.
Delayed ejaculation disorder. Retarded ejaculation,
Criterion group. Group of subjects who exhibit the
or the inability to ejaculate following a normal sexual
disorder under study.
excitement phase.
Cross-gender identification. The desire to be, or the
Delinquency. Antisocial or illegal behavior by a
insistence that one is, of the opposite sex.
minor.
Cultural competence. Refers to a psychologist’s
Delirium. State of mental confusion characterized by
need to be informed of the issues involved in
relatively rapid onset of widespread disorganization
multicultural assessment.
of the higher mental processes, caused by a
Cultural relativism. Position that one cannot apply generalized disturbance in brain metabolism. May
universal standards of normality or abnormality to all include impaired perception, memory, and thinking
societies. and abnormal psychomotor activity.

Cultural-familial retardation. Mental retardation as Delirium tremens. See Alcohol withdrawal delirium.
a result of an inferior quality of interaction with the
Delusion. False belief about reality maintained in
cultural environment and other people, with no
spite of strong evidence to the contrary.
evidence of brain pathology.
Delusion of grandeur. False belief that one is a noted
Cyclothymic disorder. Mild mood disorder
or famous person, such as Napoleon or the Virgin
characterized by cyclical periods of hypomanic and
Mary.
depressive symptoms.
Delusion of persecution. False belief that one is Depression. Emotional state characterized by
being mistreated or interfered with by one’s extraordinary sadness and dejection.
enemies.
Depressive personality disorder. Provisional category
Delusional disorder. Nurturing, giving voice to, and of personality disorder in DSMIV-TR that involves a
sometimes taking action on beliefs that are pattern of depressive cognitions and behaviors that
considered completely false by others; formerly begin by early adulthood and is pervasive in nature.
called paranoia.
Depressogenic schemas. Dysfunctional beliefs that
Delusional system. Internally coherent, systematized are rigid, extreme, and counterproductive and that
pattern of delusions. are thought to leave one susceptible to depression
when experiencing stress.
Dementia. Progressive deterioration of brain
functioning occurring after the completion of brain Derealization. Experience in which the external
maturation in adolescence. Characterized by deficits world is perceived as distorted and lacking a stable
in memory, abstract thinking, acquisition of new and palpable existence.
knowledge or skills, visuospatial comprehension,
Desensitization. Therapeutic process by means of
motor control, problem solving, and judgment.
which reactions to traumatic experiences are
Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT). reduced in intensity by repeatedly exposing a person
to them in mild form, either in reality or in fantasy.
Disorder associated with a progressive dementia
syndrome ultimately terminating in death. Onset Desire phase. First phase of the human sexual
may be in middle or old age, and symptoms include response, consisting of fantasies about sexual
memory loss, withdrawal, confusion, and impaired activity or a sense of desire to have sexual activity.
judgment.
Deterrence. Premise that punishment for criminal
Dementia praecox. Older term for schizophrenia. offenses will deter that criminal and others from
future criminal acts.
Demonology. Viewpoint emphasizing supernatural
causation of mental disorder, especially “possession” Detox center. Center or facility for receiving and
by evil spirits or forces. detoxifying alcohol or drug-intoxicated individuals.

Denial of reality. Ego-defense mechanism that Detoxification. Treatment directed toward ridding
protects the self from an unpleasant reality by the body of alcohol or other drugs.
refusing to perceive or face it.
Developmental disorder. Problem that is rooted in
Dependence. Tendency to rely overly on others. deviations in the development process itself, thus
disrupting the acquisition of skills and adaptive
Dependent personality disorder. Extreme
behavior and often interfering with the transition to
dependence on others, particularly the need to be
well-functioning adulthood.
taken care of, leading to clinging and submissive
behavior. Developmental psychopathology. Field of psychology
that focuses on determining what is abnormal at any
Dependent variable. In an experiment, the factor
point in the developmental process by comparing
that is observed to change with changes in the
and contrasting it with normal and expected changes
manipulated (independent) variables.
that occur.
Depersonalization. Temporary loss of sense of one’s
own self and one’s own reality. Developmental systems approach. Acknowledgment
that genetic activity influences neural activity, which
Depersonalization disorder. Dissociative disorder in
in turn influences behavior, which in turn influences
which episodes of depersonalization and
the environment, and that these influences are
derealization become persistent and recurrent.
bidirectional.
Deviant behavior. Behavior that deviates markedly Disintegration. Loss of organization or integration in
from the average or norm. any organized system.

Diagnosis. Determination of the nature and extent of Disorganization. Severely impaired integration.
a specific disorder.
Disorganized schizophrenia. See Schizophrenia,
Dialectical behavior therapy. A unique kind of disorganized type.
cognitive and behavioral therapy specifically adapted
Disorganized symptoms. Symptoms such as bizarre
for treating borderline personality disorder.
behavior or incomprehensible speech.
Diathesis. Predisposition or vulnerability to
Disorientation. Mental confusion with respect to
developing a given disorder.
time, place, or person.
Diathesis-stress model. View of abnormal behavior
Displacement. Ego-defense mechanism that
as the result of stress operating on an individual who
discharges pent-up feelings, often of hostility, on
has a biological, psychosocial, or sociocultural
objects less dangerous than those arousing the
predisposition to developing a specific disorder.
feelings.
Dimensional approach. Approach to classifying
Disrupted family. Family that is incomplete as a
abnormal behavior that assumes that a person’s
result of death, divorce, separation, or some other
typical behavior is the product of differing strengths
circumstance.
or intensities of behavior along several definable
dimensions, such as mood, emotional stability, Dissociation. The human mind’s capacity to mediate
aggressiveness, gender, identity, anxiousness, complex mental activity in channels split off from or
interpersonal trust, clarity of thinking and independent of conscious awareness.
communication, social introversion, and so on.
Dissociative amnesia. Psychogenically caused
Direct observation. Method of collecting research memory failure.
data that involves directly observing behavior in a
given situation. Dissociative disorders. Conditions involving a
disruption in an individual’s normally integrated
Direction of effect problem. Refers to the fact that, functions of consciousness, memory, or identity.
in correlational research, it cannot be concluded
whether variable A causes variable B or whether Dissociative fugue. A dissociative amnesic state in
variable B causes variable A. which the person is not only amnesic for some or all
aspects of his or her past but also departs from
Directive therapy. Type of therapeutic approach in home surroundings.
which a therapist supplies direct answers to
problems and takes much of the responsibility for Dissociative identity disorder (DID). Condition in
the progress of therapy. which a person manifests at least two or more
distinct identities or personality states that alternate
Disaster syndrome. Reactions of many victims of in some way in taking control of behavior. Formerly
major catastrophes during the traumatic experience called multiple personality disorder. Distress.
and the initial and long-lasting reactions after it. Negative stress, associated with pain, anxiety, or
Discordant marriage. Marriage in which one or both sorrow.
of the partners are not gaining satisfaction from the
relationship and one spouse may express frustration Disturbed family. Family in which one or both
and disillusionment in hostile ways, such as nagging, parents behave in grossly eccentric or abnormal
belittling, and purposely doing things to annoy the ways and may keep the home in constant emotional
other. turmoil.

Discrimination. Ability to interpret and respond Dizygotic (fraternal) twins. Twins that develop from
differently to two or more similar stimuli. two separate eggs. DNA.
Deoxyribonucleic acid; principal component of DSM-5. Current diagnostic manual of the American
genes. Dominant gene. A gene whose hereditary Psychiatric Association.
characteristics prevail, in of-spring, over any
Dwarfism. Condition of arrested growth and very
recessive gene that affects the same trait.
short stature.
Dopamine. Neurotransmitter from the
Dyad. Two-person group.
catecholamine family that is initially synthesized
from tyrosine, an amino acid common in the diet. Dynamic formulation. Integrated evaluation of an
Dopamine is produced from l-dopa by the enzyme individual’s personality traits, behavior patterns,
dopamine decarboxylase. environmental demands, and the like to describe the
person’s current situation and to hypothesize about
Dopamine hypothesis. Hypothesis that schizophrenia
what is driving the person to behave in maladaptive
is the result of an excess of dopamine activity at
ways.
certain synaptic sites.
Dysfunction. Impairment or disturbance in the
Double bind. Situation in which a person will be
functioning of an organ or in behavior.
disapproved for performing a given act and equally
disapproved if he or she does not perform it. Dysfunctional beliefs. Negative beliefs that are rigid,
extreme, and counterproductive.
Double depression. This condition is diagnosed when
a person with dysthymia has a superimposed major Dyslexia. Impairment of the ability to read.
depressive episode.
Dyspareunia. Painful coitus in a male or a female.
Double-bind communication. Type of faulty
communication in which one person (e.g., a parent) Dysrhythmia. Abnormal brain wave pattern.
presents to another (e.g., a child) ideas, feelings, and
Dysthymic disorder. Moderately severe mood
demands that are mutually incompatible.
disorder characterized by a persistently depressed
Double-blind study. Often used in studies examining mood most of the day for more days than not for at
drug treatment effects, a condition where neither least 2 years. Additional symptoms may include poor
the subject nor the experimenter has knowledge appetite, sleep disturbance, lack of energy, low self-
about what specific experimental condition (or drug) esteem, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of
the subject is receiving. hopelessness.

Down syndrome. Form of moderate-to-severe Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Form of Alzheimer’s

mental retardation associated with a chromosomal disease that appears in people who are younger than
abnormality and typically accompanied by approximately 60 years of age. Thought to be caused
characteristic physical features. by rare genetic mutations.

Dream analysis. Method involving the recording, Eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). A
description, and interpretation of a patient’s dreams. diagnostic category reserved for disorders of eating
that do not meet criteria for any other specific eating
Drive. Internal conditions directing an organism disorder.
toward a specific goal, often involving biological
rather than psychological motives. Eating disorders. Disorders of food ingestion,
regurgitation, or attitude that affect health and well-
Drug abuse. Use of a drug to the extent that it being, such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating.
interferes with health and/or occupational or social
adjustment. Echolalia. Parrot-like repetition of a few words or
phrases.
Drug addiction (dependence). Physiological or
psychological dependence on a drug. Ecstasy. A human manufactured drug that is taken
orally and acts as both a stimulant and a
hallucinogen. The drug effects include feelings of Emotional disturbance. Psychological disorder.
mental stimulation, emotional warmth, enhanced
Empathy. Ability to understand, and to some extent
sensory perception, and increased physical energy.
share, the state of mind of another person.
Edema. Swelling of tissues. EEG. See
Encephalitis. Inflammation of the brain.
Electroencephalogram. Effect size. A statistical term
Encopresis. Disorder in children who have not
referring to the strength of the relationship between
learned appropriate toileting for bowel movements
two variables in a statistical population.
after age 4.
Efficacy. In a situation where treatment is tested
Encounter group. Small group designed to provide
under ideal conditions (usually in a controlled clinical
an intensive interpersonal experience focusing on
trial) efficacy is how well a given treatment improves
feelings and group interactions; used in therapy or to
clinical outcome compared to a control or
promote personal growth.
comparison condition.
Endocrine glands. Ductless glands that secrete
Ego. In psychoanalytic theory, the rational part of the
hormones directly into the lymph or bloodstream.
personality that mediates between the demands of
the id, the constraints of the superego, and the Endogenous factors. Factors originating within an
realities of the external world. organism that affect behavior.
Ego psychology. Psychodynamic theory emphasizing Endophenotypes. Discrete, measurable traits that
the importance of the ego—the “executive branch of are thought to be linked to specific genes that might
the personality”—in organizing normal personality be important in schizophrenia or other mental
development. disorders.
Egocentric. Preoccupied with one’s own concerns Endorphins. Opiates produced in the brain and
and relatively insensitive to the concerns of others. throughout the body that function like
neurotransmitters to dampen pain sensations. They
Ego-defense mechanisms. Psychic mechanisms that
also play a role in the body’s building up tolerance to
discharge or soothe anxiety rather than coping
certain drugs.
directly with an anxiety-provoking situation; usually
unconscious and reality distorting. Also called Enuresis. Bed-wetting; involuntary discharge of urine
defense mechanisms. after the age of expected continence (age 5).
Electra complex. Excessive emotional attachment Environmental psychology. Field of psychology
(love) of a daughter for her father; the female focusing on the effects of an environmental setting
counterpart of the Oedipus complex. on an individual’s feelings and behavior.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Use of electricity to Epidemiological studies. Attempts to establish the
produce convulsions and unconsciousness; a pattern of occurrence of certain (mental) disorders
treatment used primarily to alleviate depressive and in different times, places, and groups of people.
manic episodes. Also known as electroshock therapy.
Epidemiology. Study of the distribution of diseases,
Electroencephalogram (EEG). Graphical record of the disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given
brain’s electrical activity obtained by placing population. Mental health epidemiology is the study
electrodes on the scalp and measuring the brain of the distribution of mental disorders.
wave impulses from various brain areas.
Epilepsy. Group of disorders varying from
Embolism. Lodgment of a blood clot in a blood vessel momentary lapses of consciousness to generalized
too small to permit its passage. convulsions.
Emotion. Strong feeling accompanied by
physiological changes.
Epinephrine. Hormone secreted by the adrenal Existential neurosis. Disorder characterized by
medulla; also called adrenaline. feelings of alienation, meaninglessness, and apathy.

Episodic. Term used to describe a disorder that tends Existential psychotherapy. Type of therapy that is
to abate and recur. based on existential thought and focuses on
individual uniqueness and authenticity on the part of
Equilibrium. Steady state; balance.
both client and therapist.
Erotic. Pertaining to sexual stimulation and
Existentialism. View of human beings that
gratification.
emphasizes an individual’s responsibility for
Escape learning. Instrumental response in which a becoming the kind of person he or she should be.
subject learns to terminate or escape an aversive
Exogenous. Originating from or due to external
stimulus.
causes.
Essential hypertension. High blood pressure with no
Exorcism. Religiously inspired treatment procedure
specific known physical cause.
designed to drive out evil spirits or forces from a
Estrogens. Female hormones produced by the “possessed” person.
ovaries.
Experimental group. Group of subjects used to
Ethnic group. Group of people who are treated as assess the effects of independent variables.
distinctive in terms of culture and group patterns.
Experimental method. Rigorous scientific procedure
Etiology. Factors that are related to the development by which hypotheses are tested.
(or cause) of a particular disorder.
Experimental research. Research that involves the
Euphoria. Exaggerated feeling of well-being and manipulation of a given factor or variable with
contentment. everything else held constant.

Eustress. Positive stress. Exposure and response prevention. A method of

treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder that
Evidence-based treatment. Treatment that has been combines intense exposure of the patient to feared
demonstrated to be superior to a standard conditions and then they are asked not to respond
comparison treatment or to placebo in a randomized by engaging in their usual rituals to the feared
controlled trial. stimuli.
Excitement (arousal) phase. Second phase of the Exposure therapy. A technique in psychological
human sexual response, in which there is generally a treatment of anxiety disorders that involves
subjective sense of sexual pleasure and physiological exposing the patient to the feared object or context
changes, including penile erection in the male and without any danger in order to overcome the
vaginal lubrication and enlargement in the female. anxiety.
Exhaustion. Selye’s third and final stage of
responding to continued excessive trauma, in which Expressed emotion (EE). Type of negative
a person’s adaptive resources are depleted and the communication involving excessive criticism and
coping patterns developed during the resistance emotional overinvolvement directed at a patient by
stage fail. family members.

Exhibitionism. Intentional exposure of one’s genitals External validity. The extent to which the findings
to others under inappropriate circumstances and from a single study are relevant to other
without their consent. populations, contexts, or times.

Existential anxiety. Anxiety concerning one’s ability Exteroceptive conditioning. Modifying the
to find a satisfying and fulfilling way of life. perception of environmental stimuli acting on the
body.
Extinction. Gradual disappearance of a conditioned Family therapy. A treatment approach that includes
response when it is no longer reinforced. all family members, not just the identified patient.

Extraversion. Direction of interest toward the outer Fantasy. Daydream; also, an ego-defense mechanism
world of people and things rather than toward by means of which a person escapes from the world
concepts and intellectual concerns. of reality and gratifies his or her desires in fantasy
achievements.
Factitious disorder. Feigning of symptoms to
maintain the personal benefits that a sick role may Fear. A basic emotion that involves the activation of
provide, including the attention and concern of the “fight-or-flight” response of the sympathetic
medical personnel or family members. nervous system.

Factitious disorder by proxy. A variant of factitious Feedback. Explicit information pertaining to internal
disorder in which a person induces medical or physiological processes or to the social
psychological symptoms in another person who is consequences of one’s overt behavior.
under his or her care (usually a child).
Female orgasmic disorder. Persistent or recurrent
Factor analysis. Statistical technique used for delay in, or absence of, orgasm after a normal sexual
reducing a large array of inter-correlated measures excitement phase. Female sexual arousal disorder.
to the minimum number of factors necessary to Sexual dysfunction involving an absence of sexual
account for the observed overlap or associations arousal and unresponsiveness to most or all forms of
among them. erotic stimulation.

Fading. Technique whereby a stimulus causing some Fetal alcohol syndrome. Observed pattern in infants
reaction is gradually replaced by a previously neutral born to alcoholic mothers in which there is a
stimulus such that the latter acquires the property of characteristic facial or limb irregularity, low body
producing the reaction in question. weight, and behavioral abnormality.

False memories. “Memories” of events that did not Fetishism. Sexual variant in which sexual interest
actually happen, often produced by highly leading centers on some inanimate object or nonsexual part
and suggestive techniques. of the body.

Familial. Pertaining to characteristics that tend to Fetus. Embryo after the sixth week following
run in families and have a higher incidence in certain conception.
families than in the general population.
Fixation. Ego-defense mechanism involving an
Family aggregation. The clustering of certain traits, unreasonable or exaggerated attachment to some
behaviors, or disorders within a given family. Family person or arresting of emotional development on a
aggregation may arise because of genetic or childhood or adolescent level.
environmental similarities.
Fixed-interval schedule. Schedule of reinforcement
Family history method. Behavior genetic research based on a fixed period of time after the previous
strategy that examines the incidence of disorder in reinforced response.
relatives of an index case to determine whether
Fixed-ratio schedule. Schedule of reinforcement
incidence increases in proportion to the degree of
based on reinforcement after a fixed number of
the hereditary relationship.
nonreinforced responses.
Family systems approach. Form of interpersonal
Flashback. Involuntary recurrence of perceptual
therapy focusing on the within-family behavior of a
distortions or hallucinations weeks or months after
particular family member and the assumption that it
taking a drug; in posttraumatic stress disorder, a
is largely influenced by the behaviors and
dissociative state in which the person briefly relives
communication patterns of other family members.
the traumatic experience.
Flat affect. The lack of emotional expression. Functional MRI (fMRI). Internal scanning technique
that measures changes in local oxygenation (blood
Flooding. Anxiety-eliciting therapeutic technique
flow) to specific areas of brain tissue that in turn
involving having a client repeatedly experience the
depend on neuronal activity in those specific regions,
actual internal or external stimuli that had been
allowing the mapping of psychological activity such
identified as producing anxiety reactions.
as sensations, images, and thoughts.
Folie à deux. See Shared psychotic disorder.
Functional psychoses. Severe mental disorders for
Follow-up study. Research procedure in which which a specific organic pathology has not been
people are studied over a period of time or are demonstrated.
recontacted at a later time after an initial study.
Gambling. Wagering on games or events in which
Forensic. Pertaining or used in the court of law. chance largely determines the outcome.
Forensic psychology and psychiatry. Branches of
Gender dysphoria. Persistent discomfort about one’s
psychology and psychiatry dealing with legal
biological sex or the sense that the gender role of
problems related to mental disorders and the legal
that sex is inappropriate.
rights and protection of mental patients and
members of society at large. Gender identity. Individual’s identification as being
male or female.
Fraternal twins. Dizygotic twins; fertilized by
separate germ cells, thus not having the same Gender identity disorder. Identification with
genetic inheritance. May be of the same or of members of the opposite sex, persistent discomfort
opposite sexes. with one’s biological sexual identity, and strong
desire to change to the opposite sex.
Free association. Method for probing the
unconscious by having patients talk freely about General adaptation syndrome. A model that helps
themselves, their feelings, and their motives. explain the course of a person’s biological
deterioration under excessive stress; consists of
Free-floating anxiety. Anxiety not referable to any
three stages (alarm reaction, stage of resistance, and
specific situation or cause.
exhaustion).
Frontal lobe. Portion of the brain active in reasoning
General paresis. Mental disorder associated with
and other higher thought processes.
syphilis of the brain.Generalizability. The extent to
Frotteurism. A term that refers to interest in rubbing, which the findings from a single study can be used to
usually one’s pelvis or erect penis, against a non- draw conclusions about other samples.
consenting person for sexual gratification.
Generalization. Tendency of a response that has
Frustration. Thwarting of a need or desire. been conditioned to one stimulus to be elicited by
other, similar stimuli.
Frustration tolerance. Ability to withstand frustration
without becoming impaired psychologically. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Chronic
excessive worry about a number of events or
Fugue. Dissociative disorder that entails loss of activities, with no specific threat present,
memory for personal information accompanied by accompanied by at least three of the following
actual physical fight from one’s present life situation symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, difficulty
to a new environment or a less threatening former concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, sleep
one. disturbance.
Functional mental disorders. Outdated term used to Genes. Long molecules of DNA that are present at
refer to disorders that were not considered to have various locations on chromosomes and that are
an organic basis. responsible for the transmission of hereditary traits.
Genetic code. Means by which DNA controls the Glucocorticoids. Adrenocortical hormones involved
sequence and structure of proteins manufactured in sugar metabolism but also having widespread
within each cell and also makes exact duplicates of effects on injury-repair mechanisms and resistance
itself. to disease; they include cortisol.

Genetic counseling. Counseling prospective parents Glutamate. An excitatory neurotransmitter that is

concerning the probability of their having impaired widespread throughout the brain.
offspring as a result of genetic defects.
Gonads. Sex glands. Good premorbid schizophrenia.
Genetic inheritance. Potential for development and See Reactive schizophrenia.
behavior determined at conception by egg and
Grehlin. Grehlin is a hormone that is produced by the
sperm cells.
stomach. It stimulates appetite.
Genetics. Science of the inheritance of traits and the
Group therapy. Psychotherapy administered to
mechanisms of this inheritance.
several people at the same time.
Genital stage. In psychoanalytic theory, the final
Guilt. Feelings of culpability arising from behavior or
stage of psychosexual development, involving a shift
desires contrary to one’s ethical principles. Involves
from autoeroticism to heterosexual interest.
both self-devaluation and apprehension growing out
Genitalia. Organs of reproduction, especially the of fears of punishment.
external organs.
Guilty but mentally ill (GBMI). Plea and possible
Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder. Recurring verdict that would provide an alternative to pleading
difficulties of vaginal penetration or pelvic pain not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) and would
during intercourse. allow for placing a defendant in a treatment facility
rather than in a prison.
Genotype. A person’s total genetic endowment.
Genotype–environment correlation. Habituation. Automatic process whereby a person’s
response to the same stimulus lessens with repeated
Genotypic vulnerability that can shape a child’s
presentations.
environmental experiences.
Half-life. Time taken for the level of an active drug
Genotype–environment interaction. Differential
or medication in the body to be reduced to 50
sensitivity or susceptibility to their environments by
percent of the original level.
people who have different genotypes.
Halfway house. Facility that provides aftercare
Geriatrics. Science of the diseases and treatment of
following institutionalization, seeking to ease a
the aged.
person’s adjustment to the community.
Germ cells. Reproductive cells (female ovum and
Hallucinations. False perceptions such as things seen
male sperm) that unite to produce a new individual.
or heard that are not real or present.
Gerontology. Science dealing with the study of old
Hallucinogens. Drugs known to induce
age.
hallucinations; often referred to as psychedelics.
Gestalt psychology. School of psychology that
Hallucinosis. Persistent hallucinations in the
emphasizes patterns rather than elements or
presence of known or suspected organic brain
connections, taking the view that the whole is more
pathology.
than the sum of its parts.
Hashish. Strongest drug derived from the hemp
Gestalt therapy. Therapy designed to increase the
plant; a relative of marijuana that is usually smoked.
integration of thoughts, feelings, and actions and to
promote self-awareness and self-acceptance.
Health maintenance organization (HMO). Health Homosexuality. Sexual preference for a member of
plan that provides services to employers and one’s own sex.
individuals for a fixed, prepaid fee.
Hormones. Chemical messengers secreted by
Health psychology. Subspecialty within behavioral endocrine glands that regulate development of and
medicine that deals with psychology’s contributions activity in various parts of the body.
to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of
Host identity (personality). The identity in
psychological components of physical dysfunction.
dissociative identity disorder which is most
Hebephrenic schizophrenia. See Schizophrenia, frequently encountered and carries the person’s real
disorganized type. name. This is not usually the original identity and it
may or may not be the best adjusted identity.
Hemiplegia. Paralysis of one lateral half of the body.
Heredity. Genetic transmission of characteristics Hostility. Emotional reaction or drive toward the
from parents to their children. destruction or damage of an object interpreted as a
source of frustration or threat.
Hermaphroditism. Anatomical sexual abnormality in
which a person has some sex organs of both sexes. HPA axis. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)
axis is a hormonal feedback system that becomes
Heroin. Powerful psychoactive drug, chemically
activated by stress and results in the production of
derived from morphine, that relieves pain but is
cortisol.
even more intense and addictive than morphine.
Humanistic perspective. Approach to understanding
Heterosexuality. Sexual interest in a member of the
abnormal behavior that views basic human nature as
opposite sex.
good and emphasizes people’s inherent capacity for
Hierarchy of needs. Concept, articulated by Maslow, growth and self-actualization.
that needs arrange themselves in a hierarchy in
Humanistic-experiential therapies. Psychotherapies
terms of importance from the most basic biological
emphasizing personal growth and self-direction.
needs to those psychological needs concerned with
self-actualization. Huntington’s disease. A rare and fatal degenerative
disorder which is manifested in jerking, twitching
High-risk. Term applied to persons showing great
movements, and mental deterioration. Caused by a
vulnerability to physical or mental disorders.
dominant gene on chromosome 4. Formerly called
Histrionic personality disorder. Excessive attention Huntington’s chorea.
seeking, emotional instability, and self-
Hydrocephaly. Relatively rare condition in which the
dramatization.
accumulation of an abnormal amount of
HIV-associated dementia. A progressive brain cerebrospinal fluid within the cranium causes
deterioration that is caused by infection from the damage to the brain tissues and enlargement of the
HIV virus. skull.

HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment. Mild or Hydrotherapy. Use of hot or cold baths, ice packs,
major neurocognitive disorder caused by infection etc., in treatment. Hyper-. Prefix meaning
with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). “increased” or “excessive.”

Hoarding disorder. A new DSM-5 diagnosis Hyperactivity. See Attention-deficit/hyperactivity

characterized by long-standing difficulties discarding disorder.
possessions, even those of little value.
Hyperobesity. Extreme overweight; 100 pounds or
Homeostasis. Tendency of organisms to maintain more above ideal body weight.
conditions that make possible a constant level of
physiological functioning.
Hypertension. High blood pressure, defined as a Hypoxia. Insufficient delivery of oxygen to an organ,
persisting systolic blood pressure of 140 or more and especially the brain.
a diastolic blood pressure of 90 or greater.
Hysteria. Older term used for conversion disorders;
Hyperventilation. Rapid breathing associated with involves the appearance of symptoms of organic
intense anxiety. illness in the absence of any related organic
pathology.
Hypesthesia. Partial loss of sensitivity.
Id. In psychoanalytic theory, the reservoir of
Hypnosis. Trance-like mental state induced in a
instinctual drives and the first structure to appear in
cooperative subject by suggestion.
infancy. Identical twins. Monozygotic twins;
Hypnotherapy. Use of hypnosis in psychotherapy. developed from a single fertilized egg.

Hypo-. Prefix meaning “decreased” or “insufficient.” Identification. Ego-defense mechanism in which a

person identifies himself or herself with some person
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Sexual or institution, usually of an illustrious nature.
dysfunction in which either a man or a woman shows
little or no sexual drive or interest. Ideology. System of beliefs.

Hypochondriacal delusions. Delusions concerning Illusion. Misinterpretation of sensory data; false

various horrible disease conditions, such as the belief perception.
that one’s brain is turning to dust.
Imaginal exposure. Form of exposure therapy that
Hypochondriasis. Preoccupation, based on does not involve a real stimulus. Instead, the patient
misinterpretations of bodily symptoms, with the fear is asked to imagine the feared stimulus or situation.
that one has a serious disease.
Immaturity. Pattern of childhood maladaptive
Hypomania. Mild form of mania. behaviors suggesting lack of adaptive skills.

Immune reaction. Complex defensive reaction

initiated on detection of an antigen invading the
body.
Hypomanic episode. A condition lasting at least 4 Immune system. The body’s principal means of
days in which a person experiences abnormally defending itself against the intrusion of foreign
elevated, expansive, or irritable mood. At least three substances.
out of seven other designated symptoms similar to
those in a manic episode must also be present but to Immunosuppression. A downregulation or
a lesser degree than in mania. dampening of the immune system. This can be short
or long term and can be triggered by injury, stress,
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). Brain illness, and other factors.
endocrine system involved in responding to stress in
which the hypothalamus and pituitary send Implicit memory. Memory that occurs below the
messages to the adrenal gland which releases a conscious level.
stress hormone that feeds back on the
Implicit perception. Perception that occurs below
hypothalamus.
the conscious level. In vivo exposure. Exposure that
Hypothalamus. Key structure at the base of the takes place in a real-life situation as opposed to the
brain; important in emotion and motivation. therapeutic or laboratory setting.
Hypothesis. Statement or proposition, usually based
Incentive. External inducement to behave in a
on observation, that is tested in an experiment; may
certain way.
be refuted or supported by experimental results but
can never be conclusively proved.
Incest. Culturally prohibited sexual relations administration of increasing amounts of insulin until
between family members, such as a brother and the patient went into shock.
sister or a parent and child.
Integrative behavioral couple therapy. Modification
Incidence. Occurrence (onset) rate of a given of traditional behavioral couple therapy that has a
disorder in a given population. Independent variable. focus on acceptance of the partner rather than being
Factor whose effects are being examined and which solely change oriented.
is manipulated in some way, while other variables
Intellectual disability. A disorder with onset during
are held constant.
the developmental period that includes intellectual
Index case. In a genetic study, an individual who and adaptive functioning.
evidences the trait in which the investigator is
Intellectualization. Ego-defense mechanism by which
interested. Same as proband.
a person achieves some measure of insulation from
Indicated intervention. Early detection and prompt emotional hurt by cutting of or distorting the
treatment of maladaptive behavior in a person’s emotional charge that normally accompanies hurtful
family and community setting. Infantile autism. See situations.
Autism.
Intelligence. The ability to learn, reason, and adapt.
Inhibition. Restraint of impulse or desire. Innate.
Intelligence quotient (IQ). Measurement of
Inborn. Inpatient. Hospitalized patient.
“intelligence” expressed as a number or position on
Insanity. Legal term for mental disorder, implying a scale.
lack of responsibility for one’s acts and inability to
Intelligence test. Test used in establishing a subject’s
manage one’s affairs.
level of intellectual capability.
Insanity defense (NGRI). The not guilty by reason of
Intensive care management (ICM). Use of
insanity plea used as a legal defense in criminal
multidisciplinary teams with limited caseloads to
trials.
ensure that discharged patients do not get
Insight. Clinically, a person’s understanding of his or overlooked and “lost” in the system.
her illness or of the motivations underlying a
Interdisciplinary (multidisciplinary) approach.
behavior pattern; in general psychology, the sudden
Integration of various scientific disciplines in
grasp or understanding of meaningful relationships
understanding, assessing, treating, and preventing
in a situation.
mental disorders.
Insight therapy. Type of psychotherapy that focuses
Intermittent reinforcement. Reinforcement given
on helping a client achieve greater self-
intermittently rather than after every response.
understanding with respect to his or her motives,
Internal validity. The extent to which a study is free
values, coping patterns, and so on.
of confounds, is methodologically sound, and allows
Insomnia. Difficulty in sleeping. the researcher to have confidence in the findings.

Instinct. Inborn tendency to perform particular International Classification of Diseases (ICD10).

behavior patterns under certain conditions in the System of classification of disorders published by the
absence of learning. World Health Organization.

Instrumental (operant) conditioning. Reinforcement Interoceptive conditioning. This term refers to a

of a subject for making a correct response that leads learning process that is similar to classic
either to receipt of something rewarding or to conditioning. There are two conditioned stimuli and
escape from something unpleasant. one unconditioned response.

Insulin coma therapy. Physiological treatment for Interoceptive fears. Fear of various internal bodily
schizophrenia that is rarely used today; it involved sensations. Interpersonal accommodation. Process
through which two people develop patterns of condition resulting from chronic alcohol abuse and
communication and interaction that enable them to severe malnutrition (vitamin B).
attain common goals, meet mutual needs, and build
La belle indifférence. The unconcern about serious
a satisfying relationship.
illness or disability that is sometimes characteristic of
Interpersonal perspective. Approach to conversion disorder.
understanding abnormal behavior that views much
Labeling. Assigning a person to a particular
of psychopathology as rooted in the unfortunate
diagnostic category, such as schizophrenia.
tendencies we develop while dealing with our
interpersonal environments; it thus focuses on our Lability. Instability, particularly with regard to affect.
relationships, past and present, with other people.
Latency stage. In psychoanalytic theory, a stage of
Interpersonal therapy (IPT). A time-limited psychosexual development during which sexual
psychotherapy approach that focuses on the motivations recede in importance and a child is
interpersonal context and on building interpersonal preoccupied with developing skills and other
skills. activities.
Intrapsychic conflict. Inner mental struggles resulting Latent. Inactive or dormant.
from the interplay of the id, ego, and superego when
the three subsystems are striving for different goals. Latent content. In psychoanalytic theory, repressed
actual motives of a dream that are seeking
Introjection. Internal process by which a child expression but are so painful or unacceptable that
incorporates symbolically, through images and they are disguised by the manifest content of the
memories, important people in his or her life. dream.
Intromission. Insertion of the penis into the vagina or Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The occurrence of
anus. Introspection. Observing (and often reporting Alzheimer’s disease in the more elderly. One gene
on) one’s inner experiences. thought to be involved in this form of Alzheimer’s
disease is the APOE gene.
Introversion. Direction of interest toward one’s inner
world of experience and toward concepts rather Law of effect. Principle that responses that have
than external events and objects or people. Ionizing rewarding consequences are strengthened and those
radiation. Form of radiation; major cause of gene that have aversive consequences are weakened or
mutations. eliminated.
Isolation. Ego-defense mechanism by means of Learned helplessness. A theory that animals and
which contradictory attitudes or feelings that people exposed to uncontrollable aversive events
normally accompany particular attitudes are kept learn that they have no control over these events,
apart, thus preventing conflict or hurt. and this causes them to behave in a passive and
helpless manner when later exposed to potentially
Juvenile delinquency. Legal term used to refer to
controllable events. Later extended to become a
illegal acts committed by minors.
theory of depression.
Juvenile paresis. General paresis in children, usually
Learning. Modification of behavior as a consequence
of congenital origin.
of experience.
Klinefelter’s syndrome. Type of mental retardation
Learning disabled (LD). Term used to describe
associated with sex chromosome anomaly.
children who exhibit deficits in academic skills.
Korsakoff’s syndrome. This disorder, also referred to
Learning disorders. A set of disorders that reflect
as Korsakoff’s dementia, Korsakoff’s psychosis, or
deficits in academic performance.
amnesic-confabulatory syndrome, is a neurological
Leptin. Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells that tasteless, and an amount smaller than a grain of salt
acts to reduce food intake. can produce intoxication.

Lesbian. Female homosexual person. Lesion. Lunacy. Old term roughly synonymous with insanity.
Anatomically localized area of tissue pathology in an
Lycanthropy. Delusion of being a wolf.
organ or a part of the brain.
Lymphocyte. Generalized term for white blood cells
Lethality scale. Criteria used to assess the likelihood
involved in immune protection.
of a person’s committing suicide.
Macrocephaly. Rare type of mental retardation
Leukocytes. See Lymphocytes. Libido. In
characterized by an increase in the size and weight
psychoanalytic theory, a term used to describe the
of the brain, enlargement of the skull, visual
instinctual drives of the id; the basic constructive
impairment, convulsions, and other neurological
energy of life, primarily sexual in nature.
symptoms resulting from abnormal growth of glial
Life crisis. Stress situation that approaches or cells that form the supporting structure for brain
exceeds a person’s capacity to adjust. tissue.

Life history method. Technique of psychological Macrophage. Literally, “big eater.” A white blood cell
observation in which the development of particular that destroys antigens by engulfment.
forms of behavior is traced by means of records of a
Madness. Nontechnical term for severe mental
subject’s past or present behavior.
disorder.
Lifestyle. General pattern of assumptions, motives,
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Internal scanning
cognitive styles, and coping techniques that
technique involving measurement of variations in
characterize a person’s behavior and give it
magnetic fields that allows visualization of the
consistency.
anatomical features of internal organs, including the
Lifetime prevalence. The proportion of living persons central nervous system and particularly the brain.
in a population who have ever had a disorder up to
Mainstreaming. Placement of mentally retarded
the time of the epidemiological assessment.
children in regular school classrooms for all or part of
Linkage analysis. Genetic research strategy in which the day.
occurrence of a disorder in an extended family is
Major depressive disorder. Moderate-to-severe
compared with that of a genetic marker for a
mood disorder in which a person experiences only
physical characteristic or biological process that is
major depressive episodes but no hypomanic, manic,
known to be located on a particular chromosome.
or mixed episodes. Single episode if only one;
Lithium. A common salt that consists of a soft, silver- recurrent episode if more than one.
white metal; it has been found to reduce the
Major depressive episode. A mental condition in
symptoms of bipolar disorder although it has a
which a person must be markedly depressed for
number of negative side-effects.
most of every day for most days for at least 2 weeks.
Lobotomy. See Prefrontal lobotomy. In addition, a total of at least five out of nine
designated symptoms must also be present during
Locomotor ataxia. Muscular incoordination usually
the same time period.
resulting from syphilitic damage to the spinal cord
pathways. Major depressive episode with atypical features. A
type of major depressive episode which includes a
Longitudinal design. A research design in which
pattern of symptoms characterized by marked mood
people are followed over time.
reactivity, as well as at least two out of four other
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). The most potent of designated symptoms.
the hallucinogens. It is odorless, colorless, and
Major depressive episode with catatonic features. A often interrupted by occasional outbursts of intense
subset of major depressive disorders that is irritability or even violence that lasts for at least 1
characterized by severe disturbances in motor week. In addition, at least three out of seven other
function. designated symptoms must also occur.

Major depressive episode with melancholic features. Manic-depressive psychoses. Older term denoting a
A type of major depressive episode which includes group of psychotic disorders characterized by
marked symptoms of loss of interest or pleasure in prolonged periods of excitement and overactivity
almost all activities, plus at least three of six other (mania) or by periods of depression and
designated symptoms. underactivity (depression) or by alternation of the
two. Now known as bipolar disorders.
Major Neurocognitive Disorder. A new DSM-5
diagnosis, this involves severe impairment in Manifest content. In psychoanalytic theory, the
cognitive functioning that reflects a significant apparent (or obvious) meaning of a dream; masks
decline from the person’s previous level of the latent (or hidden) content.
performance. The problems in cognitive functioning
Manualized therapy. Standardization of psychosocial
create problems for the person in terms of their
treatments (as in development of a manual) to fit
ability to perform routine activities.
the randomized clinical paradigm.
Major tranquilizers. Antipsychotic drugs, such as the
Marijuana. Mild hallucinogenic drug derived from
phenothiazines.
the hemp plant, often smoked in cigarettes called
Maladaptive (abnormal) behavior. Behavior that is reefers or joints.
detrimental to the well-being of an individual or a
Marital therapy. See Couples counseling.
group.
Masked disorder. “Masking” of underlying
Maladjustment. More or less enduring failure of
depression or other emotional disturbance by
adjustment; lack of harmony with self or
delinquent behavior or other patterns seemingly
environment.
unrelated to the basic disturbance.
Male erectile disorder. Sexual dysfunction in which a
Masochism. Sexual stimulation and gratification from
male is unable to achieve or maintain an erection
experiencing pain or degradation in relating to a
sufficient for successful sexual gratification; formerly
lover.
known as impotence.
Mass madness. Historically, widespread occurrence
Male hypoactive sexual disorder. Sexual dysfunction
of group behavior disorders that were apparently
in which a man shows little or no sexual drive or
cases of hysteria.
interest.
Masturbation. Self-stimulation of genitals for sexual
Malingering. Consciously faking illness or symptoms
gratification.
of disability to achieve some specific nonmedical
objective. Maternal deprivation. Lack of adequate care and
stimulation by the mother or mother surrogate.
Managed health care. System of corporations that
secures services from hospitals, physicians, and Maturation. Process of development and body
other providers for treating a designated population, change resulting from heredity rather than learning.
with the goal of holding down health-care cost.
Medical model. View of disordered behavior as a
Mania. Emotional state characterized by intense and symptom of a disease process rather than as a
unrealistic feelings of excitement and euphoria. pattern representing faulty learning or cognition.
Manic episode. A condition in which a person shows Melancholic type. Subtype of major depression that
markedly elevated, euphoric, or expansive mood, involves loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all
activities and other symptoms, including early Microcephaly. Type of mental retardation resulting
morning awakenings, worse depression in the from impaired development of the brain and a
morning, psychomotor agitation or retardation, loss consequent failure of the cranium to attain normal
of appetite or weight, excessive guilt, and sadness size.
qualitatively different from that usually experienced
Migraine. Intensely painful, recurrent headache that
after a loss.
typically involves only one side of the head and may
Meninges. Membranes that envelop the brain and be accompanied by nausea and other disturbances.
spinal cord.
Mild (disorder). Disorder low in severity.
Mental age (MA). Scale unit indicating level of
Mild Neurocognitive Disorder. A new DSM-5
intelligence in relation to chronological age.
diagnosis that is characterized by a modest decline in
Mental disorder. Entire range of abnormal behavior cognitive functioning that does not interfere with the
patterns. person’s ability to perform the routine tasks.

Mental hygiene movement. Movement that Milieu. Immediate environment, physical or social or
advocated a method of treatment focused almost both.
exclusively on the physical well-being of hospitalized
Milieu therapy. General approach to treatment for
mental patients.
hospitalized patients that focuses on making the
Mental illness. Serious mental disorder. hospital environment itself a therapeutic
community.
Mental retardation. Significantly subaverage general
intellectual functioning that is accompanied by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
significant limitations in adaptive functioning and is (MMPI/MMPI-2). Widely used and empirically
obvious during the developmental period. validated personality scales.

Mescaline. Hallucinogenic drug derived from the Minor tranquilizers. Antianxiety drugs, such as the
peyote cactus. benzodiazepines.

Mesmerism. Theory of “animal magnetism” Mixed episode. A condition in which a person is

(hypnosis) formulated by Anton Mesmer. characterized by symptoms of both full-blown manic
and major depressive episodes for at least 1 week,
Mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway (MCLP).
whether the symptoms are intermixed or alternate
Center of psychoactive drug activation in the brain.
rapidly every few days.
This area is involved in the release of dopamine and
in mediating the rewarding properties of drugs. Model. Analogy that helps a scientist order finding
and see important relationships among them.
Meta-analysis. A statistical method used to combine
the results of a number of similar research studies. Modeling. Learning of skills by imitating another
The data from each study are transformed into a person who performs the behavior to be acquired.
common metric called the effect size. This allows the
Moderate (disorder). Disorder intermediate in
data from the various studies to be combined and
severity.
then analyzed. You can think of a meta-analysis as
being like research that you are already familiar Monoamine-oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Class of
with, except that the “participants” are individual antidepressant drugs sometimes used for treating
research studies, not individual people. depression.
Methadone. Synthetic narcotic related to heroin; Monozygotic twins. Identical twins developed from
used in the treatment of heroin addiction because it one fertilized egg.
satisfies the craving for heroin without producing
serious psychological impairment.
Mood congruent. Delusions or hallucinations that Narcissism. Self-love.
are consistent with a person’s mood.
Narcissistic personality disorder. Exaggerated sense
Mood disorders. Disturbances of mood that are of self-importance, preoccupation with being
intense and persistent enough to be clearly admired, and lack of empathy for the feelings of
maladaptive. others.

Mood incongruent. Delusional thinking that is Narcolepsy. Disorder characterized by transient,

inconsistent with a person’s predominant mood. compulsive states of sleepiness.

Moral management. Wide-ranging method of Narcotic drugs. Drugs, such as morphine, that lead to
treatment that focuses on a patient’s social, physiological dependence and increased tolerance.
individual, and occupational needs.
Natural killer cell. White blood cell that destroys
Moral therapy. Therapy based on provision of antigens by chemical dissolution.
kindness, understanding, and favorable
Necessary cause. A condition that must exist for a
environment; prevalent during early part of the
disorder to occur.
nineteenth century.
Need. Biological or psychological condition whose
Morbid. Unhealthful, pathological.
gratification is necessary for the maintenance of
Morphine. Addictive drug derived from opium that homeostasis or for self-actualization.
can serve as a powerful sedative and pain reliever.
Negative affect. The experience of an emotional
Motivation. Often used as a synonym for drive or state characterized by negative emotions. Such
activation; implies that an organism’s actions are negative emotions might include anger, anxiety,
partly determined in direction and strength by its irritability, and sadness.
own inner nature.
Negative automatic thoughts. Thoughts that are just
Motivational interviewing. A brief form of therapy, below the surface of awareness and that involve
often used in areas of substance abuse and unpleasant pessimistic predictions.
addiction, that allows clients to explore their desires,
Negative cognitive triad. Negative thoughts about
reasons, ability, and need for change.
the self, the world, and the future.
Motive. Internal condition that directs action toward
Negative correlation. A relationship between two
some goal; the term is generally used to include both
variables such that a high score on one variable is
the drive and the goal to which it is directed.
associated with a low score on another variable.
Multi-infarct dementia. See Vascular dementia.
Negative symptoms. Symptoms that reflect an
Multiple personality disorder. See Dissociative absence or deficit in normal functions (e.g., blunted
identity disorder. affect, social withdrawal).

Mutant gene. Gene that has undergone some Negative-symptom schizophrenia. Schizophrenia
change in structure. characterized by an absence or deficit of normal
behaviors, such as emotional expressiveness,
Mutation. Change in the composition of a gene,
communicative speech, and reactivity to
usually causing harmful or abnormal characteristics
environmental events.
to appear in the offspring.
Negativism. Form of aggressive withdrawal that
Mutism. Refusal or inability to speak.
involves refusing to cooperate or obey commands
Nancy School. Group of physicians in nineteenth- doing the exact opposite of what has been
century Europe who accepted the view that hysteria requested.
was a sort of self-hypnosis.
Neologisms. New words; a feature of language Neurosurgery. Surgery on the nervous system,
disturbance in schizophrenia. especially the brain.

Neonate. Newborn infant. Neurosyphilis. Syphilis affecting the central nervous

system.
Neoplasm. Tumor. Nervous breakdown. General
term used to refer broadly to lowered integration Neurotic behavior. Anxiety-driven, exaggerated use
and inability to deal adequately with one’s life of avoidance behaviors and defense mechanisms.
situation.
Neurotic disorders. Psychodynamic term for anxiety-
Neurodevelopmental disorders. A group of disorders driven mental health conditions that are manifest
in DSM-5 that are typically manifested in early through avoidance patterns and defensive reactions.
childhood.
Neuroticism. Personality pattern including the
Neurofibrillary tangles. Twisted and web-like nerve tendency to experience anxiety, anger, hostility,
filaments that characterize the brains of patients depression, self-consciousness, impulsiveness, and
with Alzheimer’s disease. vulnerability.

Neurological examination. Examination to determine Neurotransmitters. Chemical substances that are

the presence and extent of organic damage to the released into a synapse by the presynaptic neuron
nervous system. and that transmit nerve impulses from one neuron
to another.
Neurology. Field concerned with the study of the
brain and nervous system and disorders thereof. NGRI plea. The not guilty by reason of insanity plea,
or NGRI, is a legal defense a defendant might use to
Neuron. Individual nerve cell.
claim that he or she was not guilty of a crime
Neurophysiology. Branch of biology concerned with because of insanity.
the functioning of nervous tissue and the nervous
Nicotine. Addictive alkaloid that is the chief active
system.
ingredient in tobacco and a drug of dependence.
Neuropsychological assessment. Use of psychological
Night hospital. Mental hospital in which an individual
tests that measure a person’s cognitive, perceptual,
may receive treatment during all or part of the night
and motor performance to obtain clues to the extent
while carrying on his or her usual occupation in the
and locus of brain damage.
daytime.
Neuropsychological disorders. Disorders that occur
Nihilistic delusion. Fixed belief that everything is
when there has been significant organic impairment
unreal.
or damage to a normal adolescent or adult brain.
Nomenclature. A formalized naming system.
Neuropsychological mood syndromes. Serious mood
disturbances apparently caused by disruptions in the Nondirective therapy. Approach to psychotherapy in
normal physiology of cerebral function. which a therapist refrains from giving advice or
directing the therapy. See also Client-centered
Neuropsychological personality syndromes. Changes
psychotherapy.
in an individual’s general personality style or traits
following brain injury of one or another type. Norepinephrine. Catecholamine neurotransmitter
substance.
Neurosis. Term historically used to characterize
maladaptive behavior resulting from intrapsychic Norm. Standard based on the measurement of a
conflict and marked by prominent use of defense large group of people; used for comparing the scores
mechanisms. of an individual with those of others in a defined
group.
Normal. Conforming to the usual or norm; healthy. unwanted and intrusive thoughts or distressing
images; these are usually accompanied by
Normal distribution. Tendency for most members of
compulsive behaviors designed to neutralize the
a population to cluster around a central point or
obsessive thoughts or images or to prevent some
average with respect to a given trait, with the rest
dreaded event or situation.
spreading out to the two extremes in decreasing
frequency. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD).
Perfectionism and excessive concern with
NREM sleep. Stages of sleep not characterized by the
maintaining order, control, and adherence to rules.
rapid eye movements that accompany dreaming.
Occipital lobe. Portion of cerebrum concerned
Obesity. The condition of having elevated fat masses
chiefly with visual function.
in the body.
Oedipus complex. Desire for sexual relations with a
Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI)
parent of opposite sex; specifically, the desire of a
of 30 or higher.
boy for his mother, with his father a hated rival.
Objective personality tests. Structured tests, such as
Olfactory hallucinations. Hallucinations involving the
questionnaires, self-inventories, or rating scales,
sense of smell.
used in psychological assessment.
Operant (or instrumental) conditioning. Form of
Object-relations theory. In psychoanalytic theory,
learning in which if a particular response is
this viewpoint focuses on an infant or young child’s
reinforced, it becomes more likely to be repeated on
interaction with “objects” (i.e., real or imagined
similar occasions.
people), as well as how they make symbolic
representations of important people in their lives. Operational definition. Definition of a concept on the
basis of a set of operations that can be observed and
Observational learning. Learning through
measured.
observation alone without directly experiencing an
unconditioned stimulus (for classical conditioning) or Opium. Narcotic drug that leads to physiological
a reinforcement (for instrumental conditioning). dependence and the development of tolerance;
derivatives are morphine, heroin, and codeine.
Observational method. Systematic technique by
which observers are trained to watch and record Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Childhood
behavior without bias. disorder that appears by age 6 and is characterized
by persistent acts of aggressive or antisocial behavior
Observational research. In contrast to experimental
that may or may not be against the law.
research (which involves manipulating variables in
some way and seeing what happens), in Oral stage. First stage of psychosexual development
observational research the researcher simply in Freudian theory, in which mouth or oral activities
observes or assesses the characteristics of different are the primary source of pleasure.
groups, learning about them without manipulating
Organic mental disorders. Outdated term used to
the conditions to which they are exposed.
refer to disorders that resulted from some
Sometimes called correlational research, although
identifiable brain pathology.
the former is the preferred term.
Organic viewpoint. Concept that all mental disorders
Obsessions. Persistent and recurrent intrusive
have an organic basis. See also Biological viewpoint.
thoughts, images, or impulses that a person
experiences as disturbing and inappropriate but has Orgasm. Third phase of the human sexual response,
difficulty suppressing. during which there is a release of sexual tension and
a peaking of sexual pleasure.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Anxiety
disorder characterized by the persistent intrusion of
Outcome research. Studies of effectiveness of procedures to be used in the collection and
treatment. interpretation of data.

Outpatient. Ambulatory client who visits a hospital Paranoia. Symptoms of delusions and impaired
or clinic for examination and treatment, as distinct contact with reality without the bizarreness,
from a hospitalized client. fragmentation, and severe personality
disorganization characteristic of schizophrenia.
Overanxious disorder. Disorder of childhood
characterized by excessive worry and persistent Paranoid personality disorder. Pervasive
fears unrelated to any specific event; often includes suspiciousness and distrust of others.
somatic and sleeping problems.
Paranoid schizophrenia. See Schizophrenia, paranoid
Overcompensation. Type of ego-defense mechanism type.
in which an undesirable trait is covered up by
Paraphilias. Persistent sexual behavior patterns in
exaggerating a desirable trait.
which unusual objects, rituals, or situations are
Overloading. Subjecting an organism to excessive required for full sexual satisfaction.
stress, for example, forcing the organism to handle
Paraprofessional. Person who has been trained in
or “process” an excessive amount of information.
mental health services but not at the professional
Overprotection. Shielding a child to the extent that level.
he or she becomes too dependent on the parent.
Parasympathetic nervous system. Division of the
Overt behavior. Activities that can be observed by an autonomic nervous system that controls most of the
outsider. basic metabolic functions essential for life.

Ovum. Female gamete or germ cell. Paresthesia. Exceptional sensations, such as tingling.

Pain disorder. Experience of pain of sufficient Parkinson’s disease. A neurodegenerative disease

duration and severity to cause significant life characterized by motor problems (rigidity, tremors)
disruption in the absence of medical pathology that and caused by destruction of dopamine neurons in
would explain it. the brain.

Panic. A basic emotion that involves activation of the Passive-aggressive personality disorder. Provisional
“fight-or-flight” response of the sympathetic nervous category of personality disorder in DSM-IV-TR
system and that is often characterized by an characterized by a pattern of passive resistance to
overwhelming sense of fear or terror. demands in social or work situations, which may take
such forms as simple resistance to performing
Panic attack. A severe, intense fear response that
routine tasks, being sullen or argumentative, or
appears to come out of the blue; it has many
alternating between defiance and submission.
physical and cognitive symptoms such as fear of
dying or losing control. Pathogenic. Pertaining to conditions that lead to
pathology.
Panic disorder. Occurrence of repeated unexpected
panic attacks often accompanied by intense anxiety Pathological gambling. Progressive disorder
about having another one. characterized by loss of control over gambling,
preoccupation with gambling and obtaining money
Panic provocation procedures. A variety of biological
for gambling, and irrational gambling behavior in
challenge procedures that provoke panic attacks at
spite of adverse consequences.
higher rates in people with panic disorder than in
people without panic disorder. Pathology. Abnormal physical or mental condition.

Paradigm. Model or pattern; in research, a basic PCP. Phencyclidine; developed as a tranquilizer but
design specifying concepts considered legitimate and not marketed because of its unpredictability. Known
on the street as “angel dust,” this drug produces Personality profile. Graphical summary that is
stupor and, at times, prolonged coma or psychosis. derived from several tests or subtests of the same
test battery or scale and that shows the personality
Pedigree (family history) method. Observation of
configuration of an individual or group of individuals.
samples of relatives of each subject or each carrier of
the trait or disorder in question. Personality test. See Objective personality tests and
Projective personality tests.
Pedophilic disorder. A paraphilia in which an adult’s
preferred or exclusive sexual partner is a prepubertal Person-centered therapy. See Client-centered
child. therapy.

Pemoline. Drug, similar to Ritalin, used to treat Pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). Severely
ADHD Perception. Interpretation of sensory input. disabling conditions marked by deficits in language,
perceptual, and motor development; defective
Perceptual filtering. Processes involved in selective
reality testing; and inability to function in social
attention to aspects of the great mass of incoming
situations.
stimuli that continually impinge on an organism.
Pessimistic attributional style. Cognitive style
Perfectionism. The need to get things exactly right. A
involving a tendency to make internal, stable, and
personality trait that may increase risk for the
global attributions for negative life events.
development of eating disorders, perhaps because
perfectionistic people may be more likely to idealize PET scan. See Positron emission tomography.
thinness.
Phagocyte. Circulating white blood cell that binds to
Performance test. Test in which perceptual-motor antigens and partially destroys them by engulfment.
rather than verbal content is emphasized. Phallic stage. In psychoanalytic theory, the stage of
psychosexual development during which genital
Peripheral nervous system. Nerve fibers passing
exploration and manipulation occur.
between the central nervous system and the sense
organs, muscles, and glands. Pharmacology. The science of drugs.

Perseveration. Persistent continuation of a line of Pharmacotherapy. Treatment by means of drugs.

thought or activity once it is under way. Clinically
Phenomenological. Pertaining to the immediate
inappropriate repetition.
perceiving and experiencing of an individual.
Persistent depressive disorder. A new DSM-5
Phenotype. The observed structural and functional
disorder that involves long-standing depressed mood
characteristics of a person that result from
(2 years or more). The disorder incorporates
interaction between the genotype and the
dysthymic disorder and chronic major depression
environment.
from DSM-IV.
Phenylketonuria (PKU). Type of mental retardation
Personality. Unique pattern of traits that
resulting from a baby’s lack of a liver enzyme needed
characterize an individual.
to break down phenylalanine, an amino acid found in
Personality disorder. Gradual development of many foods.
inflexible and distorted personality and behavioral
Phobia. Persistent and disproportionate fear of some
patterns that result in persistently maladaptive ways
specific object or situation that presents little or no
of perceiving, thinking about, and relating to the
actual danger.
world.
Physiological dependence. Type of drug dependence
Personality or psychological decompensation.
involving withdrawal symptoms when drug is
Inability to adapt to sustained or severe stressors.
discontinued.
Pick’s disease. Form of presenile dementia. behavior and experience, such as marked emotional
turmoil, motor agitation, delusions, and
Pineal gland. Small gland at the base of the brain
hallucinations.
that helps regulate the body’s biological clock and
may also establish pace of sexual development. Positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Scanning
technique that measures metabolic processes to
Pituitary gland. Endocrine gland associated with
appraise how well an organ is functioning.
many regulatory functions.
Posthypnotic amnesia. Subject’s lack of memory for
Placebo effect. Positive effect experienced after an
the period during which he or she was hypnotized.
inactive treatment is administered in such a way that
a person thinks he or she is receiving an active Posthypnotic suggestion. Suggestion given during
treatment. hypnosis to be carried out by a subject after he or
she is brought out of hypnosis.
Placebo treatment. An inert pill or otherwise neutral
intervention that produces desirable therapeutic Postpartum depression. Depression occurring after
effects because of the subject’s expectations that it childbirth. Most commonly it is mild and transient
will be beneficial. (postpartum blues) but can become a major
depressive episode.
Plaques. Abnormal accumulations of protein found
in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Disorder that
occurs following an extreme traumatic event, in
Play therapy. Use of play activities in psychotherapy
which a person reexperiences the event, avoids
with children.
reminders of the trauma, and exhibits persistent
Pleasure principle. Demand that an instinctual need increased arousal.
be immediately gratified regardless of reality or
Posttraumatic theory (of DID). The view that DID
moral considerations.
starts from the child’s attempt to cope with an
Point prevalence. The number of cases of a specific overwhelming sense of hopelessness and
condition or disorder that can be found in a powerlessness in the face of repeated traumatic
population at one given point in time. abuse.

Polygenic. Caused by the action of many genes Predisposition. Tendency to develop certain
together in an additive or interactive fashion. symptoms under given stress conditions.

Positive correlation. A relationship between two Prefrontal lobotomy. Surgical procedure used before
variables such that a high score on one variable is the advent of antipsychotic drugs, in which the
associated with a high score on another variable. frontal lobes of the brain were severed from the
deeper centers underlying them, resulting in
Positive psychology. A new field that focuses on permanent structural changes in the brain.
human traits (e.g., optimism) and resources that are
potentially important for health and well-being. Prejudice. Emotionally toned conception favorable
or unfavorable to some person, group, or idea—
Positive reinforcer. Reinforcer that increases the typically in the absence of sound evidence.
probability of recurrence of a given response.
Premature ejaculation. Persistent and recurrent
Positive symptoms. Symptoms that are characterized onset of orgasm and ejaculation with minimal sexual
by something being added to normal behavior or stimulation.
experience. Includes delusions, hallucinations, motor
agitation, and marked emotional turmoil. Prematurity. Birth of an infant before the end of a
normal period of pregnancy.
Positive-symptom schizophrenia. Schizophrenia
characterized by something added to normal Premorbid. Existing before the onset of mental
disorder.
Prenatal. Before birth. responsivity, and mildly inappropriate responses—
that develops gradually and tends to be long lasting;
Prepared learning. The view that people are
alternatively known as poor premorbid
biologically prepared through evolution to more
schizophrenia and chronic schizophrenia.
readily acquire fears of certain objects or situations
that may once have posed a threat to our early Prodromal. Considered to be an early (subclinical)
ancestors. For example, people more readily develop stage of schizophrenia, characterized by very low-
fears of snakes and spiders if they are paired with level symptoms or behavioral idiosyncrasies.
aversive events, than they develop fears of knives or
Prognosis. Prediction of the probable course and
guns.
outcome of a disorder.
Presenile dementia. Mental disorders resulting from
Projection. Ego-defense mechanism of attributing
brain degeneration before old age.
one’s own unacceptable motives or characteristics to
Presenting problem. Major symptoms and behavior others.
the client is experiencing.
Projective personality tests. Techniques that use
Prevalence. In a population, the proportion of active various ambiguous stimuli that a subject is
cases of a disorder that can be identified at a given encouraged to interpret and from which the
point in time or during a given period. subject’s personality characteristics can be analyzed.

Primary gain. In psychodynamic theory it is the goal Prolonged exposure. A behaviorally oriented
achieved by symptoms of conversion disorder by treatment strategy in which the patient is asked to
keeping internal intrapsychic conflicts out of vividly recount the traumatic event over and over
awareness. In contemporary terms it is the goal until there is a decrease in their emotional
achieved by symptoms of conversion disorder by responses.
allowing the person to escape or avoid stressful
Prospective research. Method that often focuses on
situations.
individuals who have a higher-than average
Primary prevention. Older term for preventive likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered
efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of a disease before abnormal behavior is observed.
or disorder and fostering positive health. See
Protective factors. Influences that modify a person’s
Universal prevention.
response to an environmental stressor, making it less
Primary process thinking. Gratification of id demands likely that the person will experience the adverse
by means of imagery or fantasy without the ability to effects of the stressor.
undertake the realistic actions needed to meet those
Prototypal approach. Approach to classifying
instinctual demands.
abnormal behavior that assumes the existence of
Proband. In a genetic study, the original individual prototypes of behavior disorders that, rather than
who evidences the trait in which the investigator is being mutually exclusive, may blend into others with
interested. Same as index case. which they share many characteristics.

Problem checklist. Inventory used in behavioral Psilocybin. Hallucinogenic drug derived from a
assessment to determine an individual’s fears, variety of mushrooms.
moods, and other problems.
Psychedelic drugs. Drugs such as LSD that often
Problem drinker. Behavioral term referring to one produce hallucinations.
who has serious problems associated with drinking.
Psychiatric nursing. Field of nursing primarily
Process schizophrenia. Schizophrenic pattern— concerned with mental disorders.
marked by seclusiveness, gradual waning of interest
in the surrounding world, diminished emotional
Psychiatric social worker. Professional who has had Psychogenic illness. Psychologically induced or
graduate training in social work with psychiatric maintained disease.
specialization, typically leading to a master’s degree.
Psychohistory. A field of study analyzing history
Psychiatrist. Medical doctor who specializes in the according to psychoanalytic principles.
diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.
Psychological assessment. The use of psychological
Psychiatry. Field of medicine concerned with procedures such as behavioral observations,
understanding, assessing, treating, and preventing interview, and psychological tests to obtain a picture
mental disorders. of a client’s mental health symptoms and
personality.
Psychic trauma. Any aversive experience that inflicts
serious psychological damage on a person. Psychological autopsy. Analytical procedure used to
determine whether or not death was self-inflicted
Psychoactive substance. Drug that affects mental
and, if so, why.
functioning.
Psychological need. Need emerging out of
Psychoactive substance abuse. Pathological use of a
environmental interactions, for example, the need
substance resulting in potentially hazardous
for social approval.
behavior or in continued use despite a persistent
social, psychological, occupational, or health Psychological screening. Use of psychological
problem. procedures or tests to detect psychological problems
among applicants in preemployment evaluations.
Psychoactive substance dependence. Use of a
psychoactive substance to the point where one has a Psychological test. Standardized procedure designed
marked physiological need for increasing amounts of to measure a subject’s performance on a specified
the substance to achieve the desired effects. task.

Psychoanalysis. Methods Freud used to study and Psychomotor. Involving both psychological and
treat patients. physical activity.

Psychoanalytic perspective. Theory of Psychomotor retardation. Slowing down of

psychopathology, initially developed by Freud, that psychological and motor functions.
emphasizes the inner dynamics of unconscious
Psychoneuroimmunology. Study of the interactions
motives.
between the immune system and the nervous
Psychodrama. Psychotherapeutic technique in which system and the influence of these factors on
the acting of various roles is an essential part. behavior.

Psychodynamic perspectives. Theories of Psychopathology. Abnormal behavior.

psychopathology based on modification and revision
Psychopathy. A condition involving the features of
of Freud’s theories.
antisocial personality disorder and such traits as lack
Psychodynamic therapy. Psychological treatment of empathy, inflated and arrogant self-appraisal, and
that focuses on individual personality dynamics, glib and superficial charm.
usually from a psychodynamic or psychodynamically
Psychopharmacology. Science of determining which
derived perspective.
drugs alleviate which disorders and why they do so.
Psychogenic. Of psychological origin: originating in
Psychophysiological (psychosomatic) disorders.
the psychological functioning of an individual.
Physical disorders in which psychological factors are
Psychogenic amnesia. Amnesia of psychological believed to play a major causal role.
origin, common in initial reactions to traumatic
experiences.
Psychophysiological variables. Measures of biological Random sample. Sample drawn in such a way that
functioning including heart rate, blood pressure, each member of a population has an equal chance of
EEG, and so on. being selected; it is hoped that such a sample will be
fully representative of the population from which it
Psychosexual development. Freudian view of
is drawn.
development as involving a succession of stages,
each characterized by a dominant mode of achieving Randomized clinical trials (RCTs). A clinical trial in
libidinal pleasure. which participants are randomly assigned to
different treatments.
Psychosexual stages of development. According to
Freudian theory, there are five stages of Randomized controlled trials. A randomized
psychosexual development, each characterized by a controlled trial involves a specific treatment group
dominant mode of achieving sexual pleasure: the (the group the researchers are most interested in) as
oral stage, the anal stage, the phallic stage, the well as a control treatment group (against which the
latency stage, and the genital stage. treatment group will be compared). Participants
have an equal chance of being placed in either group
Psychosis. Severe impairment in the ability to tell
because placement is determined randomly.
what is real and what is not real.
Rape. Sexual activity that occurs under actual or
Psychosocial deprivation. Lack of needed stimulation
threatened forcible coercion of one person by
and interaction during early life.
another.
Psychosocial viewpoints. Approaches to
Rapid cycling. A pattern of bipolar disorder involving
understanding mental disorders that emphasize the
at least four manic or depressive episodes per year.
importance of early experience and an awareness of
social influences and psychological processes within Rapport. Interpersonal relationship characterized by
an individual. a spirit of cooperation, confidence, and harmony.

Psychosurgery. Brain surgery used in the past with Rating scales. Formal structure for organizing
excessive frequency in the treatment of functional information obtained from clinical observation and
mental disorders. self-reports to encourage reliability and objectivity.

Psychotherapy. Treatment of mental disorders by Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Form of
psychological methods. psychotherapy focusing on changing a client’s
maladaptive thought processes, on which
Psychotropic drugs. Drugs whose main effects are
maladaptive emotional responses and thus behavior
mental or behavioral in nature.
are presumed to depend.
Purge. Purging refers to the removal of food from
Rationalization. Ego-defense mechanism that
the body by such means as self-induced vomiting or
involves the use of contrived “explanations” to
misuse of laxatives, diuretics, and enemas. Q Q-sort.
conceal or disguise unworthy motives for a person’s
Personality measure in which a subject, or a clinician, behavior.
sorts a number of statements into piles according to
Reaction formation. Ego-defense mechanism that
their applicability to the subject.
prevents the awareness or expression of
Racism. Prejudice and discrimination directed unacceptable desires via the exaggerated adoption
toward individuals or groups because of their racial of seemingly opposite behavior.
background.
Reactive schizophrenia. Schizophrenia pattern—
Random assignment. A procedure used to create marked by confusion and intense emotional turmoil
equivalent groups in which every research —that normally develops suddenly and has
participant has an equal chance of being assigned to identifiable precipitating stressors; alternatively
any group in the study.
known as good premorbid schizophrenia, Type I REM sleep. Stage of sleep involving rapid eye
schizophrenia, and acute schizophrenia. movements (REM); associated with dreaming.

Reality principle. Awareness of the demands of the Remission. Marked improvement or recovery
environment and adjustment of behavior to meet appearing in the course of a mental illness; may or
these demands. may not be permanent.

Reality testing. Behavior aimed at testing or Representative sample. Small group selected in such
exploring the nature of a person’s social and physical a way as to be representative of the larger group
environment; often used more specifically to refer to from which it is drawn.
testing the limits of the permissiveness of the social
Repression. Ego-defense mechanism that prevents
environment.
painful or dangerous thoughts from entering
Recessive gene. Gene that is effective only when consciousness.
paired with an identical gene.
Residential treatment. Out-of-home placements for
Recidivism. Shift back to one’s original behavior children and adolescents with mental health
(often delinquent or criminal) after a period of problems.
treatment or rehabilitation.
Residual schizophrenia. See Schizophrenia, residual
Recompensation. Increase in integration or inner type.
organization. Opposite of decompensation.
Resilience. The ability to adapt successfully to even
Recurrence. A new occurrence of a disorder after a very difficult circumstances.
remission of symptom.
Resistance. Selye’s second stage of responding to
Recurrent. Term used to describe a disorder pattern continuing trauma, involving finding some means to
that tends to come and go. deal with the trauma and adjust to it. In
psychodynamic treatment, the person’s
Recurrent major depressive episode with a seasonal
unwillingness or inability to talk about certain
pattern. A form of major depression where the
thoughts, motives, or experiences.
episodes of depression recur on a regular seasonal
basis (fall/winter), but not at other times of the year. Resistance to extinction. Tendency of a conditioned
response to persist despite lack of reinforcement.
Referral. Sending or recommending an individual or
family for psychological assessment or treatment. Resolution. Final phase of the human sexual
response, during which a person has a sense of
Regression. Ego-defense mechanism of retreat to an
relaxation and well-being.
earlier developmental level involving less mature
behavior and responsibility. Response shaping. Positive reinforcement technique
used in therapy to establish, by gradual
Rehabilitation. Use of reeducation rather than
approximation, a response not initially in a person’s
punishment to overcome behavioral deficits.
behavioral repertoire.
Reinforcement. The process of rewarding desired
Reticular activating system (RAS). Fibers going from
responses.
the reticular formation to higher brain centers and
Relapse. Return of the symptoms of a disorder after presumably functioning as a general arousal system.
a fairly short period of time.
Reticular formation. Neural nuclei and fibers in the
Reliability. Degree to which a measuring device brain stem that apparently play an important role in
produces the same result each time it is used to arousing and alerting an organism and in controlling
measure the same thing or when two or more attention.
different raters use it.
Retrograde amnesia. Loss of memory for events that Schema. An underlying representation of knowledge
occurred during a circumscribed period prior to brain that guides current processing of information and
injury or damage. often leads to distortions in attention, memory, and
comprehension.
Retrospective research. Research approach that
attempts to retrace earlier events in the life of a Schizoaffective disorder. Form of psychotic disorder
subject. in which the symptoms of schizophrenia co-occur
with symptoms of a mood disorder.
Retrospective strategy. Method of trying to uncover
the probable causes of abnormal behavior by looking Schizoid personality disorder. Inability to form social
backward from the present. relationships or express feelings and lack of interest
in doing so.
Rigidity. Tendency to follow established coping
patterns, with failure to see alternatives or extreme Schizophrenia. Disorder characterized by
difficulty in changing one’s established patterns. hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and
behavior, as well as problems in self-care and
Ritalin. Central nervous system stimulant often used
general functioning.
to treat ADHD.
Schizophrenia, catatonic type. Type of schizophrenia
Role-playing. Form of assessment in which a person
in which the central feature is pronounced motor
is instructed to play a part, enabling a clinician to
symptoms, of either an excited or a stuporous type,
observe a client’s behavior directly.
which sometimes make for difficulty in
Rorschach Inkblot Test. Use of 10 inkblot pictures to differentiating this condition from a psychotic mood
which a subject that responds with associations that disorder.
come to mind. Analysis of these responses enables a
Schizophrenia, disorganized type. Type of
clinician to infer personality characteristics.
schizophrenia that usually begins at an earlier age
Rumination. Refers to the process of going over and and represents a more severe disintegration of the
over in one’s mind or going over a thought personality than in the other types of schizophrenia.
repeatedly time and again.
Schizophrenia, paranoid type. Type of schizophrenia
Sadism. Achievement of sexual gratification by in which a person is increasingly suspicious, has
inflicting physical or psychic pain or humiliation on a severe difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and
sexual partner. experiences absurd, illogical, and often changing
delusions.
Saint Vitus’s dance. Name given to the dancing
mania (and mass hysteria) that spread from Italy to Schizophrenia, residual type. Diagnostic category
Germany and the rest of Europe in the Middle Ages. used for people who have experienced a
schizophrenic episode from which they have
Sample. Group on which measurements are taken; recovered enough to not show prominent symptoms
should normally be representative of the population but are still manifesting some mild signs of their past
about which an inference is to be made. disorder.
Sampling. The process of selecting a representative Schizophrenia, undifferentiated type. Type of
subgroup from a defined population of interest. schizophrenia in which a person meets the usual
criteria for being schizophrenic—including (in varying
Scapegoating. Displacement of aggression onto
combinations) delusions, hallucinations, thought
some object, person, or group other than the source
disorder, and bizarre behavior—but does not clearly
of frustration.
fit into one of the other types because of a mixed
Schedule of reinforcement. Program of rewards for symptom picture.
requisite behavior.
Schizophreniform disorder. Category of Self-acceptance. Being satisfied with one’s attributes
schizophrenic-like psychosis less than 6 months in and qualities while remaining aware of one’s
duration. limitations.

Schizophrenogenic. Schizophrenia-causing. Self-actualizing. Achieving one’s full potentialities as

a human being.
Schizotypal personality disorder. Excessive
introversion, pervasive social interpersonal deficits, Self-concept. A person’s sense of his or her own
cognitive and perceptual distortions, and identity, worth, capabilities, and limitations.
eccentricities in communication and behavior.
Self-esteem. Feeling of personal worth. Self-
Seasonal affective disorder. Mood disorder involving evaluation. Way in which an individual views the self,
at least two episodes of depression in the past 2 in terms of worth, adequacy, etc. Self-ideal (ego-
years occurring at the same time of year (most ideal). Person or “self” a person thinks he or she
commonly fall or winter), with remission also could and should be.
occurring at the same time of year (most commonly
Self-identity. Individual’s delineation and awareness
spring).
of his or her continuing identity as a person.
Secondary gain. External circumstances that tend to
Self-instructional training. Cognitive-behavioral
reinforce the maintenance of disability.
method aimed at teaching a person to alter his or
Secondary prevention. Older term for prevention her covert behavior.
techniques that typically involve emergency or crisis
Self-monitoring. Observing and recording one’s own
intervention, with efforts focused on reducing the
behavior, thoughts, and feelings as they occur in
impact, duration, or spread of a problem. See
various natural settings.
Selective intervention.
Self-reinforcement. Reward of self for desired or
Secondary process thinking. Reality-oriented rational
appropriate behavior.
processes of the ego for dealing with the external
world and the exercise of control over id demands. Self-report data. Data collected directly from
participants, typically by means of interviews or
Secondary reinforcer. Reinforcement provided by a
questionnaires.
stimulus that has gained reward value by being
associated with a primary reinforcing stimulus. Self-report inventory. Procedure in which a subject is
asked to respond to statements in terms of their
Sedative. Drug used to reduce tension and induce
applicability to him or her.
relaxation and sleep.
Self-schema. Our view of what we are, what we
Selective intervention. Mobilization of prevention
might become, and what is important to us.
resources to eliminate or reduce a particular type of
problem (such as teenage pregnancy or alcohol or Self-statements. A person’s implicit verbalizations of
drug abuse). what he or she is experiencing.
Selective mutism. Condition that involves the Senile. Pertaining to old age.
persistent failure to speak in specific social situations
and interferes with educational or social adjustment. Senile dementia. Mental disorders that sometimes
accompany brain degeneration in old age.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). A
medication that inhibits serotonin that is used in the Sensate focus learning. Learning to derive pleasure
treatment of depression. from touching one’s partner and being touched by
him or her; this training is used in sexual therapy to
Self (ego). Integrating core of a personality that enhance sexual feelings and help overcome sexual
mediates between needs and reality. dysfunction.
Sensory deprivation. Restriction of sensory Sexual dysfunction. Impairment either in the desire
stimulation below the level required for normal for sexual gratification or in the ability to achieve it.
functioning of the central nervous system.
Shaping. Form of instrumental conditioning; at first,
Sentence completion test. Projective technique all responses resembling the desired one are
utilizing incomplete sentences that a person is to reinforced, then only the closest approximations,
complete, analysis of which enables a clinician to until finally the desired response is attained.
infer personality dynamics.
Shared psychotic disorder. Psychosis in which two or
Separation anxiety disorder. Childhood disorder more people develop persistent, interlocking
characterized by unrealistic fears, oversensitivity, delusional ideas. Also known as folie à deux.
self-consciousness, nightmares, and chronic anxiety.
Sheltered workshops. Workshops where mentally
Separation-individuation. According to Mahler, a retarded or otherwise handicapped persons can
developmental phase in which a child gains an engage in constructive work in the community.
internal representation of the self as distinct from
Short-term crisis therapy. Brief treatment that
representations of other objects.
focuses on the immediate problem an individual or
Sequelae. Symptoms remaining as the aftermath of a family is experiencing.
disorder.
Siblings. Offspring of the same parents. Sick role.
Serotonin. A neurotransmitter from the indolamine Protected role provided by society via the medical
class that is synthesized from the amino acid model for a person suffering from severe physical or
tryptophan. Also referred to as 5- mental disorder.
HT(5hydroxytryptamine), this neurotransmitter is
Significant others. In interpersonal theory of
thought to be involved in a wide range of
psychological development, parents or others on
psychopathological conditions.
whom an infant is dependent for meeting all physical
Set point. The tendency of our bodies to resist and psychological needs.
efforts to bring about a marked change (increase or
Signs. Objective observations that suggest to a
decrease) in weight.
diagnostician a patient’s physical or mental disorder.
Severe (disorder). Disorder of a high degree of
Simple phobia. See Specific phobia.
seriousness.
Simple tension headaches. Common headaches in
Severe major depressive episode with psychotic
which stress leads to contraction of the muscles
features. Major depression involving loss of contact
surrounding the skull; these contractions result in
with reality, often in the form of delusions or
vascular constrictions that cause headache.
hallucinations.
Single-case research design. An experimental
Sex chromosomes. Pair of chromosomes inherited by
research design (e.g., an ABAB design) that involves
an individual that determine sex and certain other
only one subject.
characteristics.
Situational test. Test that measures performance in a
Sexual abuse. Sexual contact that involves physical
simulated life situation.
or psychological coercion or occurs when at least
one individual cannot reasonably consent to the Sleepwalking disorder. Disorder of childhood that
contact. involves repeated episodes of leaving the bed and
walking around without being conscious of the
Sexual aversion disorder. Sexual dysfunction in which
experience or remembering it later. Also known as
a person shows extreme aversion to, and avoidance
somnambulism.
of, all genital sexual contact with a partner.
Social exchange view. Model of interpersonal suggested, legitimized, and reinforced them and
relationships based on the premise that such because these different identities are geared to the
relationships are formed for mutual gratification of individual’s own personal goals.
needs.
Sociocultural viewpoint. Perspective that focuses on
Social introversion. Trait characterized by shy, broad social conditions that influence the
withdrawn, and inhibited behavior. development or behavior of individuals and groups.

Social norms. Group standards concerning which Socioeconomic status. Position on social and
behaviors are viewed as acceptable and which as economic scale in community; determined largely by
unacceptable. income and occupational level.

Social pathology. Abnormal patterns of social Sociogenic. Having its roots in sociocultural
organization, attitudes, or behavior; undesirable conditions.
social conditions that tend to produce individual
Sociopathic personality. See Antisocial personality
pathology.
disorder.
Social phobia. Fear of situations in which a person
Sodium pentothal. Barbiturate drug sometimes used
might be exposed to the scrutiny of others and fear
in psychotherapy to produce a state of relaxation
of acting in a humiliating or embarrassing way.
and suggestibility.
Social recovery. Ability to manage independently as
Soma. Greek word for body.
an economically effective and interpersonally
connected member of society. Somatic. Pertaining to the body.
Social role. Behavior expected of a person occupying Somatic weakness. Special vulnerability of given
a given position in a group. organ systems to stress.
“Social” self. Façade a person displays to others, as Somatization disorder. Multiple complaints, over a
contrasted with the private self. long period beginning before age 30, of physical
ailments that are inadequately explained by
Social work. Applied offshoot of sociology concerned
independent findings of physical illness or injury and
with analyzing social environments and providing
that lead to medical treatment or to significant life
services that enhance the adjustment of a client in
impairment.
both family and community settings.
Somatoform disorders. Conditions involving physical
Social worker. Person in a mental health field with a
complaints or disabilities that occur without any
master’s degree in social work (MSW) plus
evidence of physical pathology to account for them.
supervised training in clinical or social service
agencies. Somnambulism. See Sleepwalking disorder.
Socialization. Process by which a child acquires the Spasm. Intense, involuntary, usually painful
values and impulse controls deemed appropriate by contraction of a muscle or group of muscles.
his or her culture.
Spasticity. Marked hypertonicity or continual over
Social-learning programs. Behavioral programs using contraction of muscles, causing stiffness,
learning techniques, especially token economies, to awkwardness, and motor incoordination.
help patients assume more responsibility for their
own behavior. Specific learning disorders. Developmental disorders
involving deficits in language, speech, mathematical,
Sociocognitive theory (of DID). View that DID or motor skills.
develops when a highly suggestible person learns to
adopt and enact the roles of multiple identities, Specific phobia. Persistent or disproportionate fears
mostly because clinicians have inadvertently of various objects, places, or situations, such as fears
of situations (airplanes or elevators), other species Stereotypy. Persistent and inappropriate repetition
(snakes, spiders), or aspects of the environment of phrases, gestures, or acts.
(high places, water).
Stigma. Negative labeling. Stimulants. Drugs that
Specifiers (in mood disorders). Different patterns of tend to increase feelings of alertness, reduce feelings
symptoms that sometimes characterize major of fatigue, and enable a person to stay awake over
depressive episodes which may help predict the sustained periods of time.
course and preferred treatments for the condition.
Stimulus generalization. Spread of a conditioned
Sperm. Male gamete or germ cell. response to some stimulus similar to, but not
identical with, the conditioned stimulus.
Split-brain research. Research associated with split
brain surgery, which cuts off the transmission of Strattera. A medication used in the treatment of
information from one cerebral hemisphere to the ADHD.
other by severing the corpus callosum.
Stress. Effects created within an organism by the
Spontaneous recovery. The return of a learned application of a stressor.
response at some time after extinction has occurred.
Stress tolerance. A person’s ability to withstand
Stage of exhaustion. Selye’s third and final stage in stress without becoming seriously impaired.
the general adaptation syndrome, in which an
Stress-inoculation therapy. Type of self-instructional
organism is no longer able to resist continuing stress;
training focused on altering self-statements that a
may result in death.
person routinely makes in stress-producing
Stage of resistance. Second stage of the general situations.
adaptation syndrome.
Stress-inoculation training. Preventive strategy that
Standardization. Procedure for establishing the prepares people to tolerate an anticipated threat by
expected performance range on a test. changing the things they say to themselves before
the crisis.
Stanford-Binet. Standardized intelligence test for
children. Stressors. Adjustive demands that require coping
behavior on the part of an individual or group.
Startle reaction. Sudden involuntary motor reaction
to intense unexpected stimuli; may result from mild Stroke. See Cerebrovascular accident.
stimuli if a person is hypersensitive.
Structural family therapy. Treatment of an entire
Statistical significance. A measure of the probability family by analysis of interaction among family
that a research finding could have occurred by members.
chance alone.
Structured assessment interview. Interview with set
Statutory rape. Sexual intercourse with a minor. introduction and that follows a predetermined set of
procedures and questions throughout.
Steady states (homeostasis). Tendency of an
organism to maintain conditions that make possible Stupor. Condition of lethargy and unresponsiveness,
a constant level of physiological functioning. with partial or complete unconsciousness.

Stereotyping. The tendency to jump to conclusions Sublimation. Ego-defense mechanism that channels
(often negative) about what a person is like based on frustrated expression of sexual energy into
the beliefs about that group that exist (often substitutive activities.
incorrectly) in the culture (e.g., French people are
Substance abuse. Maladaptive pattern of substance
rude, homosexuals have good taste in clothes,
use manifested by recurrent and significant adverse
mental patients are dangerous, etc.).
consequences related to the use of the substance.
Substance dependence. Severe form of substance Syndrome. Group or pattern of symptoms that occur
use disorder involving physiological dependence on together in a disorder and represent the typical
the substance, tolerance, withdrawal, and picture of the disorder.
compulsive drug taking.
System. Assemblage of interdependent parts, living
Substance-related disorders. Patterns of maladaptive or nonliving.
behavior centered on the regular use of a substance,
Systematic desensitization. Behavior therapy
such as a drug or alcohol.
technique for extinguishing maladaptive anxiety
Substitution. Acceptance of substitute goals or responses by teaching a person to relax or behave,
satisfactions in place of those originally sought or while in the presence of the anxiety producing
desired. stimulus, in some other way that is inconsistent with
anxiety.
Successive approximation. See Shaping.
Tachycardia. Rapid heartbeat.
Sufficient cause. A condition that guarantees the
occurrence of a disorder. Tactual hallucinations. Hallucinations involving the
sense of touch.
Suicide. Taking one’s own life.
Tarantism. Dancing mania that occurred in Italy in
Suicidology. Study of the causes and prevention of
the thirteenth century.
suicide.
Tarasoff decision. Ruling by a California court (1974)
Superego. Conscience; ethical or moral dimensions
that a therapist has a duty to warn a prospective
(attitudes) of personality.
victim of an explicit threat expressed by a client in
Suppression. Conscious forcing of desires or therapy.
thoughts out of consciousness; conscious inhibition
Tardive dyskinesia. Neurological disorder resulting
of desires or impulses.
from excessive use of antipsychotic drugs. Side
Surrogate. Substitute for another person, such as a effects can occur months to years after treatment
parent or mate. has been initiated or has stopped.

Symbol. Image, word, object, or activity that is used The symptoms involve involuntary movements of
to represent something else. the tongue, lips, jaw, and extremities.

Symbolism. Representation of one idea or object by Task-oriented response. Making changes in one’s
another. self, one’s surroundings, or both, depending on the
situation.
Sympathetic division. Division of the autonomic
nervous system that is active in emergency Tay-Sachs disease. Genetic disorder of lipid
conditions of extreme cold, violent effort, and metabolism usually resulting in death by age 3.
emotions.
T-cell. A type of white blood cell that, when
Sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system. System activated, can recognize specific antigens.
designed to mobilize resources and prepare for a
T-cells play an important role in the immune system.
fight-or-flight response.
Telepathy. Communication from one person to
Symptoms. Patient’s subjective description of a
another without use of any known sense organs.
physical or mental disorder.
Temperament. Pattern of emotional and arousal
Synapse. Site of communication from the axon of
responses and characteristic ways of self-regulation
one neuron to the dendrites or cell body of another
that are considered to be primarily hereditary or
neuron—a tiny filled space between neurons.
constitutional.
Temporal lobe. Portion of the cerebrum located in Tic. Persistent, intermittent muscle twitch or spasm,
front of the occipital lobe and separated from the usually limited to a localized muscle group, often of
frontal and parietal lobes by the fissure of Sylvius. the facial muscles.

Tension. Condition arising from the mobilization of Token economies. Reinforcement techniques often
psychobiological resources to meet a threat; used in hospital or institutional settings in which
physically, involves an increase in muscle tone and patients are rewarded for socially constructive
other emergency changes; psychologically, is behaviors with tokens that can then be exchanged
characterized by feelings of strain, uneasiness, and for desired objects or activities.
anxiety.
Tolerance. Need for increased amounts of a
Tertiary prevention. Older term for preventive substance to achieve the desired effects.
techniques focused on reducing long-term
Tourette’s syndrome. Extreme tic disorder involving
consequences of disorders or serious problems. See
uncontrollable multiple motor and vocal patterns.
Indicated prevention.
Toxic. Poisonous.
Test validity. Degree to which a test actually
measures what it was designed to measure. Toxicity. Poisonous nature of a substance.
Testes. Male reproductive glands or gonads. Traditional behavioral couple therapy. Widely used
form of therapy that uses behavioral approaches to
Testosterone. Male sex hormone.
bring about changes in the marital relationship.
Test-retest reliability. Consistency with which a test
Trait. Characteristic of a person that can be observed
measures a given trait on repeated administrations
or measured.
of the test to given subjects.
Trance. Sleep-like state in which the range of
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Use of a series of
consciousness is limited and voluntary activities are
simple pictures about which a subject is instructed to
suspended; a deep hypnotic state.
make up stories. Analysis of the stories gives a
clinician clues about the person’s conflicts, traits, Tranquilizers. Drugs used for reduction of psychotic
personality dynamics, and the like. symptoms (major tranquilizers) or reduction of
anxiety and tension (minor tranquilizers).
Therapeutic. Pertaining to treatment or healing.
Transference. In psychodynamic therapy, a process
Therapeutic community. Hospital environment used
whereby clients project onto the therapist attitudes
for therapeutic purposes.
and feelings that they have had for a parent or
Therapy. Treatment; application of various others close to them.
treatment techniques.
Transsexualism. Individuals who identify with
Third variable problem. Refers to the problem of members of the opposite sex (as opposed to
making causal inferences in correlational research, acceptance of their own biological sex) and who
where the correlation between two variables could strongly desire to (and often do) change their sex. In
be due to their shared correlation with an most cases this is gender identity disorder in adults.
unmeasured third variable.
Transvestic disorder. Achievement of sexual arousal
Thyroid. Endocrine gland located in the neck that and satisfaction by dressing as a member of the
influences body metabolism, rate of physical growth, opposite sex.
and development of intelligence.
Trauma. Severe psychological or physiological
Thyroxin. Hormone secreted by the thyroid glands. stressor.
Traumatic. Pertaining to a wound or injury or to available to conscious awareness yet plays an
psychic shock. important role in behavior.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI). Brain damage resulting Underarousal. Inadequate physiological response to
from motor vehicle crashes, bullets, or other objects a given stimulus.
entering the brain, and other severe impacts to the
Undifferentiated schizophrenia. See Schizophrenia,
head.
undifferentiated type.
Traumatic childhood abuse. Mistreatment in
Undoing. Ego-defense mechanism of atoning for or
childhood severe enough to cause psychological
magically trying to dispel unacceptable desires or
damage.
acts.
Treatment contract. Explicit arrangement between a
Unipolar depressive disorder. Mood disorder in
therapist and a client designed to bring about
which a person experiences only depressive
specific behavioral changes.
episodes, as opposed to bipolar disorder, in which
Tremor. Repeated fine spastic movement. both manic and depressive episodes occur.

Trichotillomania. Chronic pulling out of one’s own Universal intervention. The tasks of altering
hair. conditions that cause or contribute to mental
disorders (risk factors) and establishing conditions
Tricyclic antidepressants. Medications used to treat
that foster positive mental health (protective
depression, and sometimes anxiety disorders, that
factors).
are thought to block the reuptake of norepinephrine
and serotonin at the synapse. Unstructured assessment interviews. Typically
subjective interviews that do not follow a
T-score distribution. A standard distribution of scores
predetermined set of questions. The beginning
that allows for a comparison of scores on a test by
statements in the interview are usually general, and
comparing scores with a group of known values.
follow-up questions are tailored for each client. The
Twin method. The use of identical and nonidentical content of the interview questions is influenced by
twins to study genetic influences on abnormal the habits or theoretical views of the interviewer.
behavior.
Vaginismus. Involuntary spasm of the muscles at the
Type A behavior pattern. Excessive competitive drive entrance to the vagina that prevents penetration
even when it is unnecessary, impatience or time and sexual intercourse.
urgency, and hostility.
Validity. Extent to which a measuring instrument
Type D personality. Type D (for distressed) actually measures what it purports to measure.
personality is characterized by high levels of negative
Variable. Characteristic or property that may assume
emotions and social anxiety. Research suggests that
any one of a set of different qualities or quantities.
Type D personality is linked to heart attacks.
Vascular dementia. A brain disorder in which a series
Type I schizophrenia. Psychotic behavior of the
of small strokes destroy neurons, leading to brain
positive syndrome variety thought to involve chiefly
atrophy and behavioral impairments that are similar
temporolimbic brain structures.
to Alzheimer’s disease.
Type II schizophrenia. Psychotic behavior of the
Vasomotor. Pertaining to the walls of the blood
negative syndrome variety thought to involve chiefly
vessels.
frontal brain structures.
Vegetative. Withdrawn or deteriorated to the point
Unconscious. In psychoanalytic theory, a major
of leading a passive, vegetable-like existence.
portion of the mind, which consists of a hidden mass
of instincts, impulses, and memories and is not easily
Verbal test. Test in which a subject’s ability to
understand and use words and concepts is important
in making the required responses.

Vertigo. Dizziness.

Virilism. Accentuation of masculine secondary sex

characteristics, especially in a woman or young boy,
caused by hormonal imbalance.

Viscera. Internal organs.

Voyeurism. Achievement of sexual pleasure through

clandestine “peeping,” usually watching other
people disrobe and/or engage in sexual activities.

Vulnerabilities. Factors that render a person

susceptible to behaving abnormally.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC).

Standardized intelligence test for children.

Withdrawal. Intellectual, emotional, or physical

retreat.

Withdrawal symptoms. Physical symptoms such as

sweating, tremors, and tension that accompany
abstinence from some drugs.

Word salad. Jumbled or incoherent use of words by

psychotic or disoriented individuals.

X chromosome. Sex-determining chromosome; all

female gametes contain X chromosomes, and if the
fertilized ovum has also received an X chromosome
from its father, it will be female.

XYY syndrome. Chromosomal anomaly in males

(presence of an extra Y chromosome) possibly
related to impulsive behavior.

Y chromosome. Sex-determining chromosome found

in half of the total number of male gametes; its
uniting with an X chromosome provided by a female
produces a male offspring.

Zygote. Fertilized egg cell formed by the union of

male and female gametes.