Dictionary of Psychology Tips
Read these 34 Dictionary of Psychology Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Psychological tips and hundreds of other topics.
Learned Helplessness
Learned helplessness is the belief that one cannot control outcomes through one's own actions. It usually leads to passivity and reduced motivation. Can also cause depression.
activation-synthesis hypothesis
The activation-synthesis hypothesis is a theoretical explanation of dreams. It suggests that dreams result from the brain's attempts to explain the high levels of neural activity during REM sleep.
Cerebral Cortex
The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain. It is convoluted, or wrinkled, to fit a large area (or a great many cells) into a small space.
circadian rhythm
The circadian rhythm is your biological clock. It refers to internal biological changes that occur roughly on a 24 hour schedule. Changes include heart rate, temperature, waking, sleeping, and more.
Alzheimer's disease
A degenerative brain disease in which the brain deteriorates, resulting in the progressive loss of awareness and memory.
Temperament
Temperament refers to a person' characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity. It is thought to be stable over time.
Basic Research
Basic research is research that is conducted to increase the scientific knowledge base, for the sake of pure science.
Bystander Effect
The bystander effect is the tendency for a group of people to be less likely than an individual to provide assistance to a person in trouble.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden attacks of extreme sleepiness and weakness. It is thought that the naroleptic drifts directly into REM sleep unexpectedly and immediately, bypassing nonREM sleep.
Achievement Motivation
Achievement motivation is the desire to master things, people, or ideas. It is the desire to accomplish, control, or attain a high standard
Intelligence quotient
Intelligence quotient is a score that indicates how an individual compares with others on an intelligence test.
Attachment
Attachment is a bond between two people, usually parent and child. It is an intense and reciprocal relationship that occurs all throughout life.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy
Self-fulfilling prophecy is the notion that our expections elicit behaviors in others that confirm those expections. Without realizing it, we elicit behaviors that confirm what we expect.
Cormorbid or Comorbidity
Cormorbidity is the presence of two or more diagnosable disorders.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, fluent but disorganized speech, and flat affect.
Hallucinations
Hallucinations are sensory experiences that are not caused by stimulation of the relevant sensory organs. The most common form of hallucinations are auditory.
attachment theory
Attachment theory typically refers to a theory of attachment formation by John Bowlby that views the infant's attachment to the caregiver as an adaptive response that promotes survival. The security of the infant's attachment is detemined by the quality of care they receive.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an intense fear of open or public places. The avoidance of public places or situations in which escape may be difficult. Commonly occurs in individuals diagnosed with panic disorder.
Applied Research
Applied research is scientific research that aims to solve practical real-world problems.
Case Study
A case study is an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth. It can be conducted to gain insight into a person's behavior or to generate hypotheses about universal phenomena.
Individuation
A process of self-discovery and self-dvelopment, makred by increasing introspection and integration of the various aspects of self. Stems from Jung's psychological theory.
Anal Stage
The anal stage is the second stage in Freud's theory of Psychosexual development. During this stage, the focus of id pleasure is on the anus and conflict often occurs with toilet-training.
Oral Stage
The oral stage is the first stage in Freud's theory of psychoesexual development. During this stage Freud argued that the mouth becomes an erogenous zone whereby it becomes the focus of pleasure seeking activities. During this stage the id energy is focused on the mouth.
Intelligence
Intelligence is the ability to excell at a variety of tasks, especially academic tasks.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Christina Chan |
