Mental Health Terms

Question 1

Alienation

Answer 1

The state of being emotionally separated from others and from one’s own feelings.

Question 2

Antidepressants

Answer 2

Medications used to treat depression.

Question 3

Antisocial behavior

Answer 3

A pattern of behavior that is verbally or physically harmful to other people, animals, or property, including behavior that severely violates social expectations for a particular environment.

Question 4

Antisocial personality disorder

Answer 4

A behavior disorder developed by a small percentage of children with conduct disorder whose behavior does not improve as they mature. Also known as sociopathic or psychopathy.

Question 5

Anxiety/ anxiety disorders

Answer 5

An unpleasant emotion triggered by anticipation of future events, memories of past events, or ruminations about the self.

Question 6

Applied psychology

Answer 6

The area of psychology in which basic theory and research are applied to the actual problems faced by individuals on a daily basis.

Question 7

Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder

Answer 7

Disorder characterized by attentional deficit and/or hyperactivity—impulsivity more severe than expected for a developmental age.

Question 8

Autism

Answer 8

A severe psychological disorder that first appears in early childhood and is characterized by impaired social interaction and language development, and other behavioral problems.

Question 9

Autonomic nervous system

Answer 9

he nervous system responsible for regulating automatic bodily processes, such as breathing and heart rate. The autonomic system also involves the processes of metabolism, or the storage and expenditure of energy.

Question 10

Avoidance learning

Answer 10

An individual’s response to avoid an unpleasant or stressful situation; also known as escape learning.

Question 11

Behavior Therapy

Answer 11

A goal-oriented, therapeutic approach that treats emotional and behavioral disorders as maladaptive learned responses that can be replaced by healthier ones with appropriate training.

Question 12

Biofeedback

Answer 12

A technique that allows individuals to monitor their own physiological processes so they can learn to control them.

Question 13

Bipolar disorder

Answer 13

A technique that allows individuals to monitor their own physiological processes so they can learn to control them.

Question 14

Body image

Answer 14

The subjective conception of one’s own body, based largely on evaluative judgments about how one is perceived by others.

Question 15

Central Nervous System

Answer 15

In humans, that portion of the nervous system that lies within the brain and spinal cord; it receives impulses from nerve cells throughout the body, regulates bodily functions, and directs behavior.

Question 16

Classical Conditioning

Answer 16

The process of closely associating a neutral stimulus with one that evokes a reflexive response so that eventually the neutral stimulus alone will evoke the same response.

Question 17

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Answer 17

A therapeutic approach based on the principle that maladaptive moods and behavior can be changed by replacing distorted or inappropriate ways of thinking with thought patterns that are healthier and more realistic.

Question 18

Defense Mechanisms

Answer 18

Unconscious strategies for avoiding or reducing threatening feelings, such as fear and anxiety.

Question 19

Delay of Gratification

Answer 19

The ability to forgo an immediate pleasure or reward in order to gain a more substantial one later.

Question 20

Delusion/Delusional Disorders

Answer 20

Beliefs that are in stark contrast to reality, often having to do with persecution or an exaggerated sense of importance or glory.

Question 21

Depression

Answer 21

An emotional state or mood characterized by one or more of these symptoms: sad mood, low energy, poor concentration, sleep or appetite changes, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, and thoughts of suicide.

Question 22

Desensitization

Answer 22

A behavior modification technique used to combat phobias and other irrational fears.

Question 23

Drug Therapy

Answer 23

Medications administered to help people suffering from psychological illnesses.

Question 24

Emotional Development

Answer 24

The process by which infants and children begin developing the capacity to experience, express, and interpret emotions.

Question 25

Emotional Intelligence

Answer 25

The ability to perceive and constructively act on both one’s own emotions and the feelings of others.

Question 26

Empathy

Answer 26

The capacity to vicariously experience and understand the thoughts and feelings of another person by putting oneself in that person’s place.

Question 27

Extroversion

Answer 27

A term used to characterize people who are typically outgoing, friendly, and open toward others.

Question 28

Forgetting Curve

Answer 28

he general, predictable pattern of the process of forgetting learned information.

Question 29

Identity/ Identity Formation

Answer 29

A person’s mental representation of who he or she is.

Question 30

Id

Answer 30

In psychoanalytic theory, the most primitive, unconscious element of human personality.

Question 31

Impulse Control Disorders

Answer 31

A psychological disorder characterized by the repeated inability to refrain from performing a particular action that is harmful either to oneself or others.

Question 32

Inferiority Complex

Answer 32

A psychological condition that exists when a person’s feelings of inadequacy are so intense that daily living is impaired

Question 33

Introversion

Answer 33

A commonly used term for people who are quiet, reserved, thoughtful, and self-reliant and who tend to prefer solitary work and leisure activities.

Question 34

Mania

Answer 34

A description of the condition opposite depression in manic-depressive psychosis, or bipolar disorder. It is characterized by a mood of elation without apparent reason.

Question 35

Mental Imagery

Answer 35

picture created by the imagination with no visual stimulus required.

Question 36

Narcissism

Answer 36

Excessive preoccupation with self and lack of empathy for others.

Question 37

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Answer 37

Mental illness characterized by the recurrence of intrusive, anxiety-producing thoughts (obsessions) accompanied by repeated attempts to suppress these thoughts through the performance of certain irrational, often ritualistic, behaviors (compulsions).

Question 38

Operant Conditioning

Answer 38

Approach to human learning based on the premise that human intelligence and will operate on the environment rather than merely respond to the environment’s stimuli.

Question 39

Panic/Panic Disorders

Answer 39

An acute feeling of intense fear, accentuated by increased heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, and mild convulsions.

Question 40

Passive Aggressive Personality

Answer 40

Its main distinguishing feature is indirect resistance to the demands or expectations of others through stubbornness, forgetfulness, inefficiency, procrastination, and other covert means. Rather than refusing outright to perform a task, the passive-aggressive person will do it badly or procrastinate until the deadline for its completion has passed.

Question 41

Placebo Effect

Answer 41

In research, a scientifically significant response that cannot be explained by physiological variables and is assumed to be psychological in origin.

Question 42

Psychoanalysis

Answer 42

A method of treatment for mental, emotional, and behavioral dysfunctions as developed by Sigmund Freud.

Question 43

Psychosis

Answer 43

A symptom of mental illness characterized by a radical change in personality and a distorted or diminished sense of objective reality.

Question 44

Rapid Eye Movement

Answer 44

the stage of sleep most closely associated with dreaming.

Question 45

Self-Actualization

Answer 45

A prominent term in humanistic psychology that refers to the basic human need for self-fulfillment.

Question 46

Self-Esteem

Answer 46

A prominent term in humanistic psychology that refers to the basic human need for self-fulfillment.

Question 47

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Answer 47

An initial expectation that is confirmed by the behavior it elicits.

Question 48

Superego

Answer 48

In psychoanalytic theory, the part of the human personality that represents a person’s inner values and morals; also known as conscience.

Question 49

Aggression

Answer 49

any act that is intended to cause pain, suffering, or damage to another person.