Psychology: Word Definitions

Question 1

What does Psychodynamic Theory mean?

Answer 1

The approach to therapy that focuses on resolving a persons unconscious and conscious feelings.

Question 2

What does Psychoanalytical Theory mean?

Answer 2

Freud’s theory that all human behaviour derived from childhood experiences.

Question 3

What does Unconscious mean?

Answer 3

The part of the mind that we are not aware of.

Question 4

What does Conscious mean?

Answer 4

The part of the mind that we are always aware of.

Question 5

What is the Id?

Answer 5

The part of the mind that operates on the pleasure principle (instant gratification).

Question 6

What is the Ego?

Answer 6

The part of the mind that operates on the reality principle (rational).

Question 7

What is the Superego?

Answer 7

The moral centre of the mind.

Question 8

What does Defence Mechanism mean?

Answer 8

The Ego’s way of distorting reality to deal with anxiety.

Question 9

What does Repression mean?

Answer 9

Unacceptable desires or impulses are excluded from the conscious and left to operate in the unconscious.

Question 10

What does Denial mean?

Answer 10

A person who refuses to recognize something that is painful.

Question 11

What does Displacement mean?

Answer 11

The shift of emotion from its original target to something else.

Question 12

What does Projection mean?

Answer 12

A person who attributes their own threatening impulses onto someone else.

Question 13

What is the process of Free Association?

Answer 13

A method used by Psychoanalytic’s where a patient relaxes and says whatever comes to mind.

Question 14

Who are Neo-Freudians?

Answer 14

Psychologists that modified Freud’s analytical theory to include social aspects.

Question 15

What does Neurotic Disorder mean?

Answer 15

A mental disorder involving anxiety and fear.

Question 16

What is Analytical Psychology?

Answer 16

Balancing a persons psyche allows them to reach their full potential (Carl Jung).

Question 17

What is the Collective Unconscious?

Answer 17

The shared/inherited pools of memories from out ancestors.

Question 18

What are Archetypes?

Answer 18

Universal symbols that tend to reappear over time.

Question 19

What does Personality mean?

Answer 19

An individuals characteristics which include patterns of thinking and feeling.

Question 20

What does Unconditional Response mean?

Answer 20

A natural response to an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 21

What does Unconditioned Stimulus mean?

Answer 21

A stimulus that naturally triggers a response.

Question 22

What does Conditioned Stimulus mean?

Answer 22

An originally neutral stimulus that now triggers a conditioned response.

Question 23

What does Conditioned Response mean?

Answer 23

A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Question 24

What is Classical Conditioning?

Answer 24

A learning process that uses a once neutral stimulus to produce a conditioned response.

Question 25

What does Extinction mean?

Answer 25

In Operant Conditioning, it is the lack of a response due to the lack of reinforcement.

Question 26

What is Self-Actualization?

Answer 26

The notion of an individual reaching their full potential once basic needs are met.

Question 27

What is Logotherapy?

Answer 27

The form of therapy that helps a person find the meaning of their life.

Question 28

What is Client-Centered Therapy?

Answer 28

A form of therapy developed by Carl Rogers in which the client plays an active role.

Question 29

What does Cognition mean?

Answer 29

The mental processes in the brain that is responsible for thinking, knowing, and remembering.

Question 30

What does Identity Crisis mean?

Answer 30

A time in a teenager’s life when they are testing and adopting various roles.

Question 31

What is a Neuroscientist?

Answer 31

A scientist that specializes in the human brain.

Question 32

What is the Cerebrum?

Answer 32

The largest part of the human brain which is responsible for controlling memory and logic.