Psychology Terms A–Z

A neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication and interaction, alongside restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

Self-harm urges often come from overwhelming emotional pain, and there are healthier ways to get through those moments with support.

Self-harm means intentionally hurting your own body to cope with emotional pain. It can be a signal that someone is reaching out for help.

An agonist is a substance that binds to a receptor and activates it, producing a biological response — like a key that fits a lock and turns it.

Confabulation is when the brain unconsciously fills gaps in memory with plausible but fabricated information — not lying, but genuinely believing the invented details.

Ghosting is when someone suddenly cuts off all contact without any explanation or warning. The person who gets ghosted often experiences confusion and self-doubt.

This refers to those restless nights when you lie in bed but sleep just won't come, leaving you tossing and turning in discomfort. Sleep difficulties can be a signal from your mind, and Mindy is here to share ways to help you find a more peaceful night.

The subconscious refers to a layer of the mind that operates below conscious awareness and influences behavior and emotions. It is often used similarly to 'unconscious,' though Freud himself preferred not to use this term.

A cognitive style that describes whether a person is strongly influenced by their surrounding environment (field) or makes judgments independently of it. It reveals that each person has their own unique way of processing information.

The founder of cognitive development theory, Piaget showed that the way children understand the world changes qualitatively with age. He proposed four stages of cognitive development, from the sensorimotor stage to the formal operational stage.

The gut-brain axis is a two-way communication pathway between your digestive system (gut) and your brain, using nerve signals, hormones, and immune messages. Your gut health can directly influence your mental health.

A romantic relationship maintained while partners are physically separated by distance. Though meetings are limited and unique challenges arise, it's a relationship that can absolutely be kept healthy through trust and communication.

This field addresses the unique mental health challenges and psychological needs experienced by people with physical or developmental disabilities.

Re-experiencing is a symptom where a person repeatedly relives a traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive memories.

Reframing is a thinking technique that involves looking at the same situation from a different perspective. When you change the frame through which you view a situation, your emotions and behaviors can shift along with it.

Disaster Mental Health is a field dedicated to protecting and restoring people's psychological well-being during and after disasters such as natural catastrophes or human-caused incidents. Because anyone can suffer emotional wounds in the aftermath of a disaster, systematic psychological support is essential.

A relapse is when mental health symptoms that had improved for a while come back again. Relapse is not a failure — it's a natural part of the recovery process.

Relapse prevention refers to strategies used during addiction recovery to avoid returning to substance use or problematic behaviors. It helps people identify risks and build coping skills to maintain long-term recovery.

The healing process of providing oneself (or receiving through therapy) the emotional nurturing that was missing or inadequate in childhood, fostering the growth of a healthier inner foundation.

Re-traumatization refers to the reactivation of original trauma responses when a person encounters situations or experiences similar to their past trauma. It can feel as though the original traumatic event is happening all over again.

Managing the emotional strain of debt, reduced income, or uncertainty about money.

A legal standard for whether a defendant can understand court proceedings and work with a lawyer to participate in their defense.

The relationship changes that happen in a remarried or blended family.

Rehabilitation Psychology is a field that helps people with disabilities or chronic illnesses adapt psychologically and live fuller lives. It emphasizes that healing the mind is just as important as healing the body.

Reuptake is the process by which a neuron reabsorbs the neurotransmitters it released, serving as an important mechanism for regulating signal transmission.

A therapeutic writing method where you write down your thoughts and feelings to organize your mind and find healing. By putting your inner world into words, you can process emotions and gain deeper self-understanding.

Storage is the memory process of holding and maintaining information in the mind after it has been received. It is a crucial stage that allows us to recall our experiences at a later time.

It involves being unable to throw things away and accumulating excessive amounts of possessions. Discarding items causes significant anxiety and distress.

A way of responding to someone's good news with genuine enthusiasm and engaged interest, shown by research to strengthen relationships.

A communication skill in which the listener fully concentrates on and seeks to understand the speaker's words and emotions, rather than passively hearing.

A self-exploration technique developed by Carl Jung in which one consciously engages with images and emotions arising from the unconscious to explore the inner world.

Hostile attribution bias is the tendency to interpret other people's actions as malicious or threatening. It causes someone to misread neutral or even well-meaning behavior as having hostile intent.

The hostile media effect is the tendency for people with strong opinions on an issue to perceive neutral, balanced news coverage as biased against their own side. Interestingly, both opposing groups reading the same article will each feel it favors the other side.

The psychological ability to think flexibly and adjust one's behavior in response to unexpected changes or new environments.

A condition in which an excessively strong emotional response occurs in reaction to a stressful event, beyond what would normally be expected.

When we look at something, our mind automatically separates the central object (figure) from the background behind it. It's a fundamental way our mind filters out what matters most in a complex world.

A medical treatment that delivers brief, controlled electrical stimulation to the brain to restore its chemical balance, used when severe depression or other mental health conditions do not respond to medication.

A treatment used for severe depression that doesn't respond to medication. It is safe and effective.

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a brain region located between the frontal lobe and the limbic system. It plays a central role in conflict detection, emotional regulation, pain processing, and decision-making.

The largest region of the brain, located at the front, responsible for higher-order cognitive functions such as thinking, planning, decision-making, and emotional regulation. It's the area that makes us uniquely 'ourselves.'

Prospect Theory explains why people feel losses more intensely than equivalent gains, and why we tend to prefer certainty over risk. Losing $100 hurts significantly more than the joy of gaining $100.

Professional boundaries refer to the appropriate limits and norms that must be maintained to preserve a healthy relationship between a counselor and a client.

Professional ethics are the moral principles and behavioral standards that mental health professionals must follow to protect clients and maintain their expertise.

A mental health professional who provides testimony and opinions based on psychological expertise in court, helping the judge or jury reach informed decisions.

The preconscious is the region of the mind that you aren't currently aware of, but can easily bring into conscious awareness simply by turning your attention to it. It acts as a middle ground between the conscious and unconscious mind.

A phenomenon where feelings toward important past relationships (usually parents) are projected onto someone in the present.

A therapy that treats personality disorders by analyzing transference — the repetition of past relationship patterns — as it appears within the therapeutic relationship.

The brain region located just behind the forehead that handles higher-order functions like judgment, planning, and emotional regulation.

Prefrontal cortex development is the process by which the brain region responsible for judgment, planning, and emotional regulation gradually matures as we grow.

This is the period (ages 2–7) when symbolic thinking begins, but logical reasoning is still difficult.