Dictionary of psychology

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The following is a comprehensive list of terms commonly used in the field of psychology. Each term is linked to a page that provides detailed information on the concept, theory, or figure it represents.

A[edit | edit source]

  • Affect - A psychological term for an observable expression of emotion.
  • Abnormal psychology - The branch of psychology focused on abnormal behavior and psychopathology.
  • Attachment theory - A theory in developmental psychology that explains the dynamics of long-term interpersonal relationships between humans.

B[edit | edit source]

  • Behaviorism - A theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behavior.
  • Biopsychology - The specialty in psychology that studies the biological foundations of behavior, emotions, and mental processes.
  • Bystander effect - A social psychological theory that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present.

C[edit | edit source]

  • Cognitive dissonance - A situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors which produce a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance.
  • Classical conditioning - A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) - A psycho-social intervention that aims to improve mental health.

D[edit | edit source]

  • Developmental psychology - The scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their life.
  • Defense mechanisms - Psychological strategies brought into play by the unconscious mind to manipulate, deny, or distort reality in order to defend against feelings of anxiety and unacceptable impulses.

E[edit | edit source]

  • Existential therapy - A form of psychotherapy that aims to help patients face the existential questions and the anxiety of existence head-on and, in doing so, discover a more authentic and fulfilling life.
  • Empirical evidence - Information that is verifiable based on observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

F[edit | edit source]

  • Freudian psychology - The body of theories and therapeutic techniques related to the work of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.

G[edit | edit source]

  • Gestalt psychology - A school of psychology that examines a person's total experience because the way we experience the world is more than just an accumulation of various perceptual experiences.

H[edit | edit source]

  • Humanistic psychology - A perspective that emphasizes looking at the whole individual and stresses concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization.

I[edit | edit source]

J[edit | edit source]

  • Jungian psychology - A school of psychology originating from the ideas of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung focusing on the importance of the individual psyche and the personal quest for wholeness.

K[edit | edit source]

  • Kinesthetic learning - A learning style in which learning takes place by the students carrying out physical activities, rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations.

L[edit | edit source]

  • Learning theory - A concept that describes how knowledge is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning.

M[edit | edit source]

N[edit | edit source]

  • Neuroscience - The scientific study of the nervous system, often used interchangeably with the term "neuropsychology" when discussing psychology.

O[edit | edit source]

  • Operant conditioning - A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior.

P[edit | edit source]

  • Positive psychology - An area of psychology that seeks to understand, test, discover and promote factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive.

Q[edit | edit source]

  • Qualitative research - A method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts.

R[edit | edit source]

  • Reinforcement - In behavioral psychology, reinforcement is a consequence applied that will strengthen an organism's future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific antecedent stimulus.

S[edit | edit source]

  • Social psychology - The scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.

T[edit | edit source]

  • Trait theory - The measurement of consistent patterns of habit in an individual's behavior, thoughts, and emotions.

U[edit | edit source]

  • Unconscious mind - A reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness.

V[edit | edit source]

  • Variable - Any factor, trait, or condition that can exist in differing amounts or types in psychology research.

W[edit | edit source]

  • Working memory - A cognitive system with a limited capacity that is responsible for temporarily holding information available for processing.

X[edit | edit source]

  • Xenophobia - The fear and distrust of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.

Y[edit | edit source]

  • Young adult - A person in the age group that can be described as transitioning from childhood to adulthood.

Z[edit | edit source]

  • Zeitgeist - In psychology, the dominant set of ideals and beliefs that motivate the actions of the members of a society in a particular period in time.

List of psychology articles[edit | edit source]

Also see[edit | edit source]

Glossary of Psychology

Glossaries, dictionaries, and lists in WikiMD[edit source]

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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD