Psychology Terms A–Z

Magical thinking is the belief that one's own thoughts or actions can influence unrelated external events. For example, believing that performing a specific ritual will cause something good to happen.

Theory of Mind is the ability to understand that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that are different from your own. It forms the foundation of empathy and communication.

Intentionally paying attention to present-moment experience without judgment. It means noticing what is happening right now, exactly as it is.

A mindfulness meditation program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It is effective for stress and chronic pain.

A therapy that combines mindfulness meditation with cognitive therapy. It is especially effective at preventing the recurrence of depression.

A program that uses mindfulness meditation techniques to prevent relapse in addiction and mental health challenges. It teaches you to observe cravings and urges just as they are, and to respond to them wisely.

Mindful eating is a way of eating that involves fully experiencing the taste, aroma, and texture of food while staying focused on the present moment. It's about bringing complete attention to the act of eating itself.

Mindful movement is the practice of paying close attention to each movement your body makes, fully experiencing the physical sensations of the present moment.

Micro-habits are a habit-formation method where repeating very small, simple actions every day naturally leads to significant change over time.

Microtrauma refers to small, repeated emotional wounds that may not seem significant on their own, but accumulate over time to create a deep psychological impact. Even seemingly minor experiences can become a source of significant pain when they build up.

A personality trait characterized by manipulating and deceiving others to achieve one's goals, treating such behavior as perfectly acceptable. The term comes from the name of Italian political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli.

The founder of positive psychology, who scientifically studied human strengths and happiness. He discovered the concept of learned helplessness, and devoted his career to researching ways to cultivate optimism and well-being.

It's that frustrating state where you need to move forward but don't know which way to go, and no matter how hard you try, nothing seems to change. Mindy will help you find a path together.

Mandala therapy is an art therapy method where drawing or coloring circular mandala images helps bring inner calm and self-understanding. It allows you to visually express complex inner emotions and experience a time of healing.

Stress that stays for a long time and slowly wears down the body and mind.

Long-term stress can change how the brain works, especially in areas related to memory, emotion, and focus.

A brain disease linked to repeated head impacts that can later affect memory, mood, and behavior.

Caring for your emotional well-being while living with a long-term health condition.

The emotional and practical process of learning to live with a long-term health condition.

Long-lasting pain can deeply affect mood, sleep, stress, and overall mental well-being.

A condition where extreme exhaustion lasts for months and does not improve much even with rest.

A calm sense that life or the present moment feels sufficient and satisfying.

Satisficing is a decision-making approach where you choose an option that is 'good enough' rather than the absolute best. Instead of searching for a perfect answer, you select the first alternative that meets your criteria, reducing mental burden through a wise and practical strategy.

Word salad is a manipulation tactic where someone deliberately mixes together incoherent, contradictory statements to confuse and disorient you. Recognizing this pattern can go a long way in protecting yourself.

A delusion is a strong, unshakeable belief that doesn't match reality. It's characterized by the fact that it doesn't easily change even when others try to reason with the person.

A condition where strong beliefs that don't match reality persist over time. Daily functioning is relatively maintained, but the person is extremely firm about certain beliefs.

The sunk cost fallacy is the psychological trap of continuing an irrational choice simply because you feel it would be a waste to abandon the time, money, or effort you've already invested.

We remember things more easily when we're back in the same place or situation where we first learned them.

Mary Ainsworth was a pioneering attachment researcher who used the Strange Situation experiment to identify secure and insecure attachment styles. Her work demonstrated that the quality of early caregiver relationships shapes lifelong patterns of relating to others.

Meta-emotion is the feeling you have about your own feelings. For example, feeling guilty about being angry, or feeling ashamed of your sadness, are both meta-emotions.

Meta-communication means having a conversation about the conversation itself — talking about how you communicate or the patterns in your relationship.

Metacognition is the ability to think about your own thinking — to observe, understand, and regulate your own cognitive processes.

A therapy that addresses 'thinking about thinking' rather than the thoughts themselves, changing patterns of worry and rumination. It's especially effective at shifting the fundamental thinking styles underlying anxiety and depression.

Mentoring is a relationship where an experienced person (mentor) helps a less experienced person (mentee) grow and develop.

A pioneering figure in Object Relations Theory who illuminated the rich inner world of infancy and early childhood. She believed that even very young children experience complex emotions and fantasies, and that these play a decisive role in shaping personality.

Melatonin is a sleep hormone released when it gets dark, signaling your body that it's time to rest.

Melancholia refers to a severe depressive state characterized by deep, persistent sadness and a loss of energy. It is a sorrow that comes from a deeper place than ordinary depression, with almost no ability to feel pleasure and clearly noticeable physical symptoms.

A type of depression characterized by deep sadness that doesn't improve even when good things happen.

Stress can affect our immune system, weakening our body's resistance to illness. Taking care of your mind is also a way of protecting your immunity.

Interview anxiety is a fear of being evaluated and judged. With systematic preparation, you can build genuine confidence and manage those nerves effectively.

A mental practice that focuses and calms the mind, helping to reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

A field that scientifically studies how meditation affects the mind and brain. Growing evidence shows that meditation is effective for reducing stress, improving concentration, and regulating emotions.

Managing holiday stress means finding healthy ways to cope with the unique pressures that arise during holidays and festive seasons. It's important to take care of yourself amid the demands of family gatherings, financial burdens, and feelings of loneliness that holidays can bring.

An older type of antidepressant that works by blocking the enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters, helping to improve mood.

It's that moment when many things in life pile up all at once and feel impossible to handle. This feeling is completely natural, and Mindy is here to work through it with you, one step at a time.

A therapy where small figurines are placed on a sand tray to express one's inner world. It allows unconscious feelings and experiences to emerge through symbolic play.

Observational learning is how we learn by watching and imitating the actions of others.

An experiential psychotherapy approach that uses challenging outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and rafting as therapeutic tools to promote psychological growth and healing.

Ambiguous loss is a form of grief where the loss is unclear — a person is present but psychologically absent, or absent but still felt as psychologically present.

This is the study of how accurately a witness's memory and testimony match what actually happened at a crime scene. It reveals that our memories can change much more easily than we think.