Definitions: Alterations in Thought Content and Process Flashcards
Delusions of Control
the belief that one’s thoughts, feelings, or will are being controlled by outside forces
- Thought insertion
- Thought broadcasting
- Ideas of reference
Thought insertion
the belief that thoughts or ideas are being inserted into one’s mind by someone or something external to one’s self
Thought broadcasting
the belief that one’s thoughts are obvious to others or are being broadcast to the world
ideas of reference
the belief that other people, objects, and events are related to or have a special significance for one’s self (e.g., a person on television is talking to or about him or her)
Paranoid delusions
an irrational distrust of others and/or the belief that others are harassing, cheating, threatening, or intending one harm
Bizarre delusions
an absurd or totally implausible belief
Somatic delusions
a false belief involving the body or bodily functions
Delusion of grandeur
an exaggerated belief of one’s importance or power
Religious Delusions
the belief that one is an agent of or specially favoured by a greater being
Depersonalization
the belief that one’s self or one’s body is strange or unreal
Magical thinking
the belief that one’s thoughts, words, or actions have the power to cause or prevent things to happen; similar to Jean Piaget’s notion of the preoperational thinking of young children
Erotomania
the belief that someone (often a public figure) unknown to the individual is in love with them or involved in a relationship with them
Nihilism
the belief that one is dead or nonexistent
Obsession
a repetitive thought, emotion, or impulse
Phobia
a persistent, exaggerated and irrational fear
Loosening of association
the lack of a logical relationship between thoughts and ideas; conversation shifts from one topic to another in a completely unrelated manner, making it confusing and difficult to follow
Circumstantiality
the individual takes a long time to make a point because his or her conversation is indirect and contains excessive and unnecessary detail
Tangentiality
similar to circumstantiality, except that the speaker does not return to a central point or answer the question posed
Thought blocking
an abrupt pause or interruption in one’s train of thoughts, after which the individual cannot recall what he or she was saying
Neologisms
the creation of new words
Flight of ideas
rapid, continuous verbalization, with frequent shifting from one topic to another
Word salad
an incoherent mixture of words and phrases
Perseveration
a persisting response to a stimulus even after a new stimulus has been presented
Clang association
the use of words or phrases that have similar sounds but are not associated in meaning; may include rhyming or puns
Echolalia
the persistent echoing or repetition of words or phrases said by others
Verbigeration
the meaningless repetition of incoherent words or sentences; typically associated with psychotic states and cognitive impairment
Pressured speech
speech that is increased in rate and volume and is often emphatic and difficult to interrupt; typically associated with mania or hypomania
