In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: imposter syndrome. I've seen a number of people write about this lately, so I don't remember anyone specific to mention for inspiring this post. The term imposter syndrome was first used in a 1978 paper in the journal … Continue reading What is… Imposter Syndrome
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's terms: repression and suppression This is a follow-up to a recent post on defense mechanisms, which are based on the work of Sigmund Freud. Suppression and repression are both examples of defense mechanisms, and they serve the purpose of removing … Continue reading What is… Repression and Suppression
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: defense mechanisms The concept of defense mechanisms was originally proposed by Sigmund Freud. They're strategies that are used unconsciously in order to protect the ego when faced with uncomfortable feelings. A number of defense mechanisms have been identified … Continue reading What is… a defense mechanism
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: Psychological stress It seems that there's a day/week/month for just about anything these days, and the International Stress Management Association has declared this week to be International Stress Awareness Week. I've written before about how stress affects the … Continue reading What is… Psychological Stress
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: just world fallacy. The just world fallacy, also known as the just world hypothesis, is a common type of cognitive bias – a shortcut that the mind unconsciously takes when considering the world around us. Do you think … Continue reading What is… the just world fallacy
They may not be politically correct, but the terms psycho killers and psychotic killers get tossed around rather freely. Sometimes people will assume that to do horrific things people must be psychotic. But is that accurate? The notion that behaviours that make no sense must come from psychosis may originate from a few different mistaken … Continue reading Are “Psycho Killers” Psychotic?
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: unconditional positive regard Unconditional positive regard was first proposed by humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers. It involves accepting another person without judgment as a human being who has value. It's not about liking a person necessarily or accepting their … Continue reading What is… Unconditional positive regard
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: self-efficacy Essentially, self-efficacy refers to our belief in our ability to get shit done. Or, for a more textbook definition, there's this quote from psychologist Alfred Bandura: "Perceived self-efficacy refers to belief in one’s agentive capabilities, that one … Continue reading What is… Self-Efficacy
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: folie à deux Folie à deux is the more commonly recognized name for what's known as shared psychotic disorder in the DSM-5. It's a rare condition that involves shared delusions between two or more people who are in … Continue reading What is… Folie à deux
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's terms: jealousy and envy The terms jealousy and envy are often used synonymously, but they actually refer to two separate, although related, concepts. Envy occurs when there is a sense of personal lacking compared to another person's abilities, achievements, … Continue reading What is… jealousy & envy
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's terms: ego dystonic & ego sytonic. The terms ego dystonic and ego syntonic come from the field of psychoanalysis, and were coined by Sigmund Freud in 1914. Ego syntonic ideas match up with the ego's needs and view of … Continue reading What is… Ego Dystonic & Ego Syntonic
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: attribution theory When something happens, we have a natural tendency to want to know why, so we seek out cause and effect relationships. Attribution theory considers how we attribute events to certain factors. An early influence in attribution … Continue reading What is… attribution theory
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: locus of control Locus of control refers to who/what we hold responsible for what happens in our lives. This concept was first identified by psychologist Julian B. Rotter in 1954. With an internal locus of control, we believe … Continue reading What is… locus of control
I first learned about the concept of cognitive deconstruction a while back when I reviewed Jesse Bering's book Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves. He wrote about it as a process of narrowed thinking that can occur leading up to a suicide attempt. The American Psychological Association defines cognitive deconstruction as: "a mental state characterized by … Continue reading Cognitive Deconstruction and the Lead Up to Suicide
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term: attention We are constantly bombarded with a steady stream of stimuli, both internal and external. Attention is the process by which we narrow our focus to certain pieces of information while excluding others. Visual attention appears to consist … Continue reading What is… attention