A Beginner's Psychology Glossary

Hi and welcome to a glossary for psychology dummies. My name is Estelle and I have been studying Psychology for 3 semesters now. If you are a student just like me or you are interested in psychology, you have found the perfect place! I understand it's a little overwhelming seeing all the vocabulary you'll have to memorize but lucky for you, I have broken it down to 23 basic words I found in my "Actively Engaged online". There are twelve words that I consider essential when getting started in psychology and the other ones are mental illnesses and disorders you may encounter in a patient or among your loved ones. After looking at the glossary, attempt to pronounce each of them because some of them really are a tongue twister! Have some fun with it. You should also try to teach others the meaning behind those words because that's really the best way to learn.

psychology

noun

The scientific study of all forms of human and animal behaviour, sometimes concerned with the methods through which behaviour can be modified.

Example: Recommendations were outlined for improving sport PSYCHOLOGY teaching practice, along with improved facilitation of adventure programming.

fr: psychologie

clinical psychologist

noun

A mental health professional with highly specialized training in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of mental illness.

Example: The classroom teacher cannot be expected to be as proficient in the use of the techniques of child study as the clinical psychologist ; he cannot be expected to administer all the tests and gather all the information needed about each child in his classroom.

fr: psychologue clinicien

therapy

noun

The treatment of disease or disorders, as by some remedial, rehabilitative, or curative process.

Example: In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Medica Zenica became a centre for traumatised displaced women and it was run by Bosnian women physicians that provided therapy to more than 2,000 women.

fr: thérapie

consultation

noun

A meeting of physicians to evaluate a patient’s case and treatment.

Example: the company decided to have a consultation with a panel of psychology experts to determine whether their claim would be accepted in court.

fr: consultation

humanistic psychology

noun

A psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the whole person and stresses the importance of growth and self-actualization...

Example: One approach is broadly based on Abraham Maslow's humanistic psychology.

fr: psychologie humaniste

mental illness

noun

Any of various disorders in which a person’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviour is so abnormal as to cause suffering to himself, herself, or other people.

Example: Johnny stated that he had a mental illness, and was a paranoid psychotic.

fr: maladie mentale

behaviour

noun

The way or manner in which one conducts oneself and acts in response to a particular situation or stimulus

Example: Expansionary fiscal policy may accordingly affect consumer behaviour more when undertaken as a welfare increase than when it results from tax cuts.

fr: comportement

perception bias

noun

A perception bias is a psychological tendency to lose objectivity in perception of people and situations.

Example: The drive against political correctness includes plans to revise the curriculum for primary and secondary pupils to correct a perceived bias towards left-wing thinking.

fr: biais de perception

empathic listening

noun

A way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding and trust.

Example: This psychologist is doing an empathic listening. For exemple: “I understand what you're saying.” “I'm sure that must be challenging.” “I identify with what you're going through.” “Thank you for sharing this with me.

fr: écoute empathique

unconscious mind

noun

That part of the mind wherein psychic activity like a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories is outside of conscious awareness.

Example: In doing this he would bring the issues of father fear, castration anxiety and the wish for sexual gratification by his father from his unconscious mind in to his conscious, allowing him to be no longer influenced by these internal processes.

fr: esprit inconscient

coping

verb

Expending conscious effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, and seeking to master, minimize or tolerate stress or conflict.

Example: According to Walker, this theory is based on the notion of 'learned helplessness' whereby the effects from repeated physical, sexual and psychological abuse limit a woman's responses to coping with each individual attack rather than focusing on a way to escape from her abusive partner.

fr: adaptation

emotion

noun

An affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate is experienced.

Example: One explanation for the development of Schizophrenia is a highly charged emotional family environment, this is also known as high Expressed emotion (Brennan & Gamble 2000).

fr: émotion

algolagnia

noun

Desire for sexual gratification through inflicting pain on oneself or others; sadomasochism.

Example: "The fact of becoming acquainted with the theory of sexual intercourse tended to diminish the algolagnia , and to impel my sexual instinct into an ordinary channel.

fr: algolagne

anorexia nervosa

noun

A psychiatric disorder characterized by an unrealistic fear of weight gain, self-starvation, and conspicuous distortion of body image.

Example: However, the current patterns of dieting have the possibilities to lead eating disorder of anorexia nervosa and obesity, which are problems in recent Western societies.

fr: anorexie nerveuse

bipolar disorder

noun

A mental illness that brings severe high and low moods and changes in sleep, energy, thinking, and behavior.

Example: When someone has depression along with periods of previous or current mania than the individual is diagnosed with bipolar disorder or manic depressive disorder

fr: trouble bipolaire

dependence

noun

The real need of the organism, or something that individuals can not provide for themselves in order to continue existing or operating.

Example: There are several commonly recognized symptoms of dependence: a narrowing of the drinking repertoire, an increased tolerance to alcohol, repeated withdrawal symptoms, preoccupation with drinking over other activities, awareness of the compulsion to drink, relief drinking to avoid withdrawal symptoms, harmful recurrence of drinking after abstinence.

fr: dépendance

dissociative disorder

noun

A personality disorder marked by a disturbance in the integration of identity, memory, or consciousness. It's a disconnection and a lack of continuity between thoughts, memories surrounding actions and identity.

Example: Vicki's bouts with Dissociative Identity Disorder date back to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, Victor Lord.

fr: trouble dissociatif

narcissism

noun

It is used to describe a person characterized by egotism, vanity, pride, or selfishness. An excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance.

Example: It is these severe psychological disorders which cannot be treated by a strictly behavioural approach - although behaviour modification can help with some effects, there is no effective therapy for narcissism itself.

fr: narcissisme

obsessive-compulsive disorder

noun

An anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry; by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety.

Example: Many hoarders also have other mental health issues such as an anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

fr: trouble obsessionnel compulsif

schizophrenia

noun

A long-term mental disorder involving faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, and withdrawal from reality and social relationships. Symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with thinking and lack of motivation.

Example: It has been shown that unpopular children are more likely to have psychological difficulties such as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, mood disorders and criminal behaviour (Kupersmidt, Coie and Dodge).

fr: la schizophrénie

phobia

noun

An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.

Example: Until then had never been seen by a Doctor, due to a phobia of healthcare professionals, following a traumatizing event during her childhood at the time of her mother's illness and death.

fr: phobie

psychosis

noun

A severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality.

Example: The severe deficiency states Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's psychosis, as seen in chronic alcoholism are best treated initially by parenteral administration of B Vitamins.

fr: psychose

neurosis

noun

A class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms.

Example: One of the sexual dimensions represented could be described as a dry, baron interchange inseparable from a neurosis and self-destruction.

fr: névrose

This glossary was made with the Virtual Writing Tutor glossary maker and grammar checker.