Psychology Terms A–Z

Self-disclosure in relationships means honestly sharing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with another person. It is a key element that deepens intimacy.

Being authentic in relationships means showing up as your true self — sharing real thoughts, feelings, and values instead of hiding behind a mask to please others.

Vulnerability in relationships means honestly revealing your weaknesses and true feelings to another person. It forms the foundation of deep emotional bonds.

Kindness is the most powerful force for keeping relationships warm and connected. Small acts of care and respect build up over time, creating a strong bridge of trust and security.

Entitlement in relationships is the feeling that a partner is obligated to meet your needs and expectations as a matter of course. This attitude can disrupt the balance of a relationship and lead to ongoing conflict.

Dr. John Gottman identified four communication patterns that destroy relationships through decades of couples research. They are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.

Relational aggression is an indirect form of aggression that harms someone's social relationships through spreading rumors, exclusion, and manipulation of friendships.

Flight of ideas refers to a pattern of thinking where thoughts move so rapidly that the person jumps continuously from one topic to another. It is a symptom that most commonly appears during manic episodes.

The optimal range of arousal levels within which a person can function most effectively. Within this zone, a person can feel emotions while still being able to think clearly.

Perspective taking is the ability to think and feel from another person's point of view, seeing a situation through their eyes rather than your own.

Observational bias is when an observer's expectations, beliefs, and experiences influence what they notice and how they interpret results. We tend to see what we already expect or want to see.

Remission refers to a state where symptoms of a mental health condition have significantly decreased or disappeared. It's not the same as a complete cure, but it's a stable period where you can manage daily life well.

An anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear of situations where escape is difficult or help unavailable during a panic response.

Phototherapy is a treatment that regulates your body's biological rhythms and relieves depressive symptoms through exposure to bright light. It is a safe and simple method that is especially effective for seasonal depression.

The lasting psychological wounds left by bullying and the process of recovery. Even after the bullying ends, emotional scars can persist for a long time.

The part of your nervous system that puts your body into 'battle mode' during danger. Your heart speeds up and your muscles tense.

A field of psychology focused on supporting the mental health of incarcerated individuals and reducing reoffending through evidence-based programs and care.

A healing process where a new emotional experience helps reshape old patterns formed by past hurts.

Intersectionality is the concept that various social identities — such as race, gender, class, and disability — overlap and interact with each other, creating unique experiences of discrimination or privilege that cannot be understood by looking at any single identity alone.

The idea that remembering is an active reconstruction of the past, not an exact replay of a recording.

Structural Family Therapy identifies and reorganizes the patterns and relationships within a family to improve how the whole family functions. It works to create healthier boundaries, hierarchies, and alliances among family members.

Systemic racism refers to race-based inequalities deeply embedded within a society's institutions, policies, and practices. It goes beyond individual prejudice — the social structure itself operates in ways that consistently disadvantage certain racial groups.

Structural violence is an invisible form of harm where social institutions and systems themselves cause ongoing suffering and damage to specific groups of people.

Piaget's stage of cognitive development, roughly ages 7 to 11, when children begin to reason logically about concrete objects and events.

The way people think and behave differently when they are part of a large group compared to when they are on their own.

Healthy ways to process the intense shame and anger that come after being publicly embarrassed or deeply disrespected.

A state in a relationship where one side holds more influence or control than the other. It can become a source of unhealthy relationship dynamics.

Power and privilege refer to the invisible advantages and imbalances of influence granted based on social identity. These are social structures that operate independently of individual effort.

Obedience to authority refers to the psychological tendency to follow instructions from a person in power, even when those instructions are ethically questionable.

A famous experiment conducted by Milgram that demonstrated how easily people comply with instructions from an authority figure, even when those instructions are harmful.

Authoritative parenting is a balanced style that combines warmth and clear boundaries. Parents set firm rules but explain their reasons, respect the child's perspective, and encourage independence within appropriate limits.

Attribution style is the habitual pattern a person uses to explain why good or bad events happen to them — whether they blame themselves or circumstances, see causes as permanent or temporary, and view effects as far-reaching or limited.

Attribution theory explains how people determine the causes of behavior and events — whether they assign responsibility to internal factors like personality and effort, or to external factors like situation and luck.

Grounding is a psychological technique that uses the five senses to return to the present moment during anxiety or panic. It's a warm, practical tool that helps you feel the earth beneath your feet when your mind is spinning.

Grounding techniques are psychological methods that help you return to the present moment when anxiety, panic, or flashbacks arise. By engaging your five senses to focus on the 'here and now,' you can restore a sense of calm and stability.

Longing is the feeling of missing a cherished person or time that is no longer close to you.

The Shadow is the hidden, darker side of yourself that you deny or don't want to acknowledge. It contains the parts of you that feel 'not like me.'

The power to maintain passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. It can matter more than talent.

Intense emotional pain is a signal that your mind needs urgent care, and there are real ways to get through it safely.

Radical acceptance is the practice of fully accepting reality as it is — without fighting, resisting, or wishing it were different. It is not approval or resignation, but an honest acknowledgment that what happened, happened.

Radical Responsibility means fully owning your reactions and choices instead of blaming external circumstances. It's a powerful mindset for reclaiming agency over your own life.

Muscle dysmorphia is a body image disorder where a person feels their body is too small or weak, even when they are objectively muscular. It involves obsessive preoccupation with exercise and diet that significantly disrupts everyday life.

It's the space where you can't quite do something alone, but you can do it with a little help. This is the sweet spot where real learning happens.

Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, playing a crucial role in learning and memory.

Withdrawal refers to the unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms that appear when a person suddenly reduces or stops using a substance they have become dependent on.

A field that studies the psychological factors involved in quitting smoking and effective strategies for cessation. It reveals that quitting smoking is not simply a matter of willpower, but a process that requires psychological understanding and support.

Sobriety refers to the state of not using addictive substances such as alcohol or drugs. It goes beyond simply stopping substance use — it's a journey of choosing a healthier way of life.

A short-term stress response triggered by a specific event, involving rapid physiological changes such as increased heart rate and adrenaline release.

An intense psychological and physical stress response that occurs immediately after a sudden traumatic event. It is a natural protective reaction that can happen to anyone.

An intense stress response occurring 3 days to 1 month after a traumatic event, with symptoms similar to PTSD such as intrusive memories, avoidance, hyperarousal, and dissociation.