Psychology terms

38 glossary entries from the Psychology topic of the CCMA test plan. Try free Psychology practice questions.

• ADHDAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
• anxietyOverwhelming worry, nervousness or apprehension about real or imagined events.
• ASDAutism spectrum disorder: a developmental condition affecting communication and behavior.
• bereavementThe state of grieving and mourning after a loss, especially a death.
• bipolar disorderA disorder with intense mood swings between mania and depression.
• CBTCognitive behavioral therapy: talk therapy that changes unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
• classical conditioningLearning in which a neutral stimulus becomes linked with one that naturally causes a response.
• copingThe ways a person manages stress.
• defense mechanismAn unconscious thought or behavior that reduces anxiety in the short term.
• deliriumSudden, often reversible confusion, which may be caused by infection, fever or low oxygen.
• delusionA firmly held false belief despite clear evidence against it.
• dementiaChronic, usually irreversible decline in memory and thinking.
• denialRefusing to accept a painful fact or loss; also a stage of grief.
• displacementA defense mechanism of redirecting feelings toward a safer target, such as yelling at staff when angry about a…
• DSM-5Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, used to classify mental disorders.
• griefThe emotional response to a loss.
• hallucinationSeeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling something that is not there.
• hierarchy of needsMaslow's five levels of human needs: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.
• IPVIntimate partner violence: abuse by a current or former partner.
• major depressive disorderA mood disorder with persistent sadness or loss of interest plus other symptoms that interfere with daily life.
• OCDObsessive-compulsive disorder.
• operant conditioningLearning in which behavior is shaped by the consequences that follow it, such as rewards.
• panic attackA sudden episode of intense fear with physical symptoms such as chest pain, sweating, trembling and a racing heart.
• phobiaAn excessive, irrational fear of a specific object or situation.
• projectionA defense mechanism of attributing one's own unacceptable feelings or impulses to someone else.
• PTSDPost-traumatic stress disorder: lasting distress after a traumatic event.
• rationalizationA defense mechanism of making excuses to justify behavior.
• reaction formationA defense mechanism of acting the opposite of one's true feelings.
• regressionA defense mechanism of returning to more childlike behavior under stress.
• repressionA defense mechanism that keeps painful thoughts and memories out of awareness.
• resilienceThe ability to adapt and recover after difficult experiences.
• schizophreniaA severe mental illness with disturbed thinking, perception and behavior.
• self-esteemA person's overall sense of self-worth.
• stressThe body's physical and emotional response to a demand or threat (stressor).
• sublimationA defense mechanism that channels unacceptable urges into acceptable activities.
• SUDSubstance use disorder: harmful, continued use of alcohol or drugs.
• suicidal ideationThinking about suicide, with or without the intention to act on it.
• withdrawalPhysical and mental symptoms when someone suddenly stops or cuts down an addictive substance.