DETERIORATION (Mental Deterioration)
In psychiatry, deterioration denotes a progressive impairment or decline of intellectual and personality functions such as memory, reasoning, concentration, communication,…
DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS
The basic tasks which must be mastered at each stage of life if the individual is to achieve normal development…
DEMYELINATING DISORDERS
These diseases, which include multiple sclerosis and diffuse sclerosis, are due to the degeneration of the insulating (myelin) sheath around…
DIFFERENTIAL PSYCHOLOGY (Individual Differences)
An area of psychology concerned with behavioral differences between individuals and groups of individuals—including, among others, sex, race, nationality, cultural…
DEMONOLOGY
Even before Greek and Roman civilization collapsed under the impact of the barbarian onslaught in the fifth century, the Dark…
DESCRIPTIVE PSYCHIATRY
A systematic approach to psychiatry based upon the observation, study, and classification of directly observable symptoms and clinical patterns. It…
DIX, DOROTHEA LYNDE (1802-87)
Dorothea Dix was the most effective advocate of humanitarian reform in American mental institutions during the nineteenth century. Born in…
DEWEY, JOHN (1859-1952)
Dewey, who was to become pre-eminent in three fields—philosophy,and education—was bom in Vermont, and graduated from the state university at…
DISCIPLINE (literally, “to learn”)
Discipline is the process of learning to adapt one’s behavior to the requirements of society. It “arises from the need…
DOMINANCE RELATIONSHIP
A pattern of social organization in which some individuals assert a higher rank than others.Dominance relationships are frequently observed in…
DESCARTES, RENE (1596-1650)
Though primarily a philosopher and mathematician, Descartes nevertheless had a profound influence on the development of psychology. Bom in La…
DEHYDRATION REACTION
A disturbance in behavior resulting from an insufficiency of water, classified as a metabolic disorder.In addition to intense thirst sensations,…
DAY HOSPITAL (Day Care Program)
A mental hospital program organized on a daytime basis. The patients come to the hospital in the morning, receive practically…
CREATIVITY TESTS
Tests designed to identify creative talentIn recent years a number of psychologists have turned their attention to the subject of…
DEFENSE MECHANISM (Ego Defense Mechanism)
An adjustive reaction, typically habitual and unconscious, employed to protect oneself from anxiety, guilt, or loss of self-esteem.In the course…
DELAYED REACTION
An experimental technique for determining whether an animal or young child can remember the solution to a problem after a…
DELIRIUM TREMENS
An acute psychotic reaction occurring in chronic alcoholics following a prolonged drinking bout. The disturbance may also occur after a…
DAYDREAMING (Fantasy)
A waking fantasy or reverie; the free play of thought or imagination.Daydreaming is classed as a form of autistic thinking,…
CONFABULATION (Pseudoreminiscence)
A distortion of memory, or paramnesia, in which gaps in recall are filled by fictional events and experiences.Confabulations can be…