Vocabulary and terms relating to psychology

Psychology 3

conscious or unconscious constraint or curtailment of a process or behaviour which may be considered as unacceptable, especially of impulses or desires

a legal term that indicates a person’s inability to take responsibility for their actions; the state of being severely mentally unwell

opposite of extroversion; characterised by liking to be by oneself and do things in a solitary manner; not typically sociable

surgery on the nerves running to and from the frontal lobe of the brain, used in the past to treat severe mental disorders

memories from long ago that are stored in the brain and can be accessed for recall

a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/or energy levels

psychological condition that impairs functioning; can be organic or non-organic in nature

projection of thoughts, sensations and experiences in the mind; used with guided meditation

a person's state of mind, which may include their perception, pain/pleasure experience, belief, desire, intentions, emotion, or memory

the part of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; often regarded as an immaterial part of a person

a process of living in the here and now and using all five senses to focus on the present; not allowing yourself to think about the past or the future

a mental condition in which someone pretends to be ill or deliberately tries to make themselves ill in order to get attention and treatment from doctors or other medical workers

psychological disorder characterised by lack of empathy or concern for others and tied to selfishness

part of the cerebral cortex that controls higher mental functioning

a relatively mild psychological disorder, characterised by symptoms such as hysteria, anxiety, depression, or obsessive behaviour

chemical released by a neuron that carries information across a synapse from one neuron to another

a person who does not conform to prevailing ideas or practices in their behaviour or views

subservient behaviour and actions towards a person perceived as an authority figure

anxiety disorder characterised by an obsessive and/or compulsive need to control one’s environment; symptoms may include continual washing and cleaning or repeating a sequence of actions or phrases

the experience of having constant and unexpected panic attacks

thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality; delusional belief that you are being persecuted or harassed by others

the scientific study of behaviour and disease, including outcomes

a process aimed at changing a person's attitude or behaviour toward some event, idea, object, or other person, by using written or spoken words to convey information, feelings or reasoning

a person’s pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving; a complex of characteristics which distinguish an individual from others