Psychology Terms A–Z

Splitting is a defense mechanism where a person sees others or situations as entirely good or entirely bad, with no middle ground.

A manipulation strategy where someone deliberately creates conflict and distrust among people to split them apart, then uses that chaos to strengthen their own influence and control.

Coping with injustice means finding healthy ways to handle the anger and helplessness that come from being treated unfairly.

Not being able to sleep is a truly painful experience. Improving your sleep hygiene can help you get better, more restful sleep.

Insomnia is a condition where a person has difficulty falling asleep, wakes up frequently during the night, or wakes too early and cannot get enough sleep.

Insomnia treatment refers to various approaches for addressing difficulty falling or staying asleep. Psychological interventions, not just medication, are highly effective for this condition.

Insecure-Ambivalent Attachment is a pattern where someone deeply craves love while constantly fearing abandonment. It creates a cycle of wanting closeness in relationships while endlessly seeking reassurance from the other person.

A pattern where the bond with a caregiver feels unstable, leading to anxiety and difficulty feeling safe in relationships.

Anxiety is a natural emotion that everyone experiences. Knowing the right coping strategies can help you manage it effectively.

Anxious attachment is an attachment pattern characterized by excessive sensitivity to a partner's responses and a persistent need for reassurance and confirmation due to fear of abandonment.

Healthy ways to handle the grief, frustration, and anxiety that come with difficulty conceiving.

A general state of feeling uncomfortable and dissatisfied. It's when you feel low without a clear reason.

Healthy ways to manage the anxiety and fear that come with not knowing what the future holds.

Tolerance of Uncertainty is the ability to cope with situations where outcomes are unknown without being overwhelmed by anxiety. It's the mental flexibility to say, 'It's okay not to know.'

Giving someone just enough attention to keep their hope alive, without real intention to commit.

The brain region that helps us produce spoken language.

Feeling low on rainy days is a biological response linked to reduced sunlight, not just 'being in your head.' With the right coping strategies, you can manage your mood effectively.

Scaffolding means providing the right amount of help to a learner until they can do it on their own, then gradually stepping back.

Pessimism is the tendency to expect bad things to happen. It's not always harmful — sometimes it can reflect careful thinking.

Managing the anxiety or self-doubt that comes from repeatedly measuring yourself against other people.

Obesity and mental health are deeply connected. Depression or stress can trigger overeating, and weight gain can lead back to lowered self-esteem and depression, creating a vicious cycle.

The promise that what you share in therapy will be protected and not casually shared with others.

A smear campaign is an organized effort to deliberately damage someone's reputation by spreading false information or distorted narratives. It goes beyond simple gossip — it is a calculated, systematic attack on a person's social credibility.

Dehumanization is the psychological process of treating specific individuals or groups as less than human, denying their dignity and emotions. It is a dangerous mental phenomenon that erodes empathy and moral responsibility toward others.

Involuntary hospitalization occurs when a person is admitted to a psychiatric facility without their consent during a mental health crisis, and is a measure taken to protect life when there is serious risk of self-harm or harm to others.

A subtype of depression where mood temporarily improves in response to positive events, often accompanied by oversleeping, overeating, a heavy sensation in the limbs, and heightened sensitivity to rejection.

Dealing with criticism means healthily receiving and responding to negative feedback or evaluations from others. It's about managing your mindset so that criticism becomes an opportunity for growth rather than something that breaks you down.

The ability to analyze information logically rather than accepting it at face value.

Nonviolent Communication is a way of talking that lets you honestly share your feelings and needs without blame or judgment. Developed by Marshall Rosenberg, it helps reduce conflict and allows people to understand each other more deeply.

A way of communicating that involves observing without judgment, expressing feelings and needs, and making requests.

A strong fear of traveling by airplane. More people experience this than you might think, and it's absolutely something you can overcome.

A flying monkey is a third party used by a narcissist to indirectly manipulate or spy on their victim. The term comes from the winged monkeys controlled by the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz.

It's when your surroundings feel unreal or strange. The world looks hazy, like you're seeing it through fog.

Viktor Frankl was the founder of Logotherapy, who believed that finding meaning in life is the most fundamental human motivation. Through his extreme experiences in Nazi concentration camps, he personally demonstrated the vital importance of the search for meaning.

Adapting to the sadness or sense of emptiness that some parents feel after a child leaves home.

Empty Nest Syndrome refers to the feelings of loss and emptiness parents experience after their children grow up and leave home. It tends to hit hardest for those whose sense of purpose was deeply tied to raising their children.

Known as the 'Father of Experimental Psychology,' Wilhelm Wundt established the world's first psychology laboratory and transformed psychology into an independent scientific discipline.

The more you try to push a thought away, the more often it comes back. Known from the "don't think of a white bear" experiment, it is also called the white bear effect.

Thought broadcasting is the belief that one's thoughts are being transmitted outward and can be heard or known by other people. It is a form of thought disorder that can appear in schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.

Thought insertion is a symptom where a person believes that an outside force or another person is placing thoughts into their mind. It is a form of thought disorder in which foreign thoughts are experienced as being forcibly introduced from an external source.

Thought Withdrawal is a symptom where a person believes that someone or an external force is stealing their thoughts away. It is a form of thought disorder in which the sudden disappearance of thoughts is explained as outside interference.

People pleasing is a pattern of ignoring your own feelings and needs in order to keep others happy. Saying 'no' can feel extremely difficult.

Love addiction is when someone becomes hooked on the excitement and emotional highs of romantic relationships, making it impossible to leave even unhealthy ones. It's a pattern of depending on the feeling of being in love rather than love itself.

A theory that explains love through three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. The combination of these three elements determines the type of love in a relationship.

A therapist’s way of putting the pieces together to understand what someone is going through and what kind of help may fit best.

Bereavement is the experience of losing someone close through death. It can affect emotions, the body, daily life, and a person's whole sense of stability.

Savoring is the ability to consciously appreciate and enjoy positive experiences. It involves intentionally prolonging and deepening the pleasure of good moments.

Bullying carried out through digital messages, social media, games, or other online spaces.

The study of how digital technology and online environments shape people's thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

Both show traits of antisocial personality, but psychopaths tend to be born with the condition and act in calculated ways, while sociopaths are shaped by their environment and tend to be more impulsive.