AUDITORY SPACE PERCEPTIO
The perception of spatial qualities through the sense of hearing.Space perception occurs in audition as well as vision since hearing…
AURA (literally, “air” or “atmosphere”)
In psychiatry, subjective premonitory symptoms preceding an epileptic convulsionand in some cases an acute migraine attack or other approaching disorder.…
AUTISM (Autistic Thinking)
Uncritical thinking dominated by fantasies that have little or no relation to reality, the gratification of wishes and desires in…
AUTOEROTISM
Sexual pleasure derived from one’s own body.The term was invented by Havelock Ellis and is most frequently used as a…
AUTOMATISM
This term is used in several senses. Basically, as English and English (1958) state, it is “an act performed without…
AUTOPSYCHIC
A general term characterizing impulses or ideas which originate from the self; also, pertaining to selfconsciousness or ideas relating to…
AUTOSCOPIC SYNDROME
A rare psychotic disorder in which the patient suffers from the delusion of seeing a “double” who looks, talks, dresses,…
AVOIDANCE LEARNING
Learning to avoid an unpleasant or painful stimulus by responding to a warning signal.In the course of our lives we…
AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION
The Association describes itself as “A society of medical specialists brought together by a common interest in the continuing study…
ATTITUDE SCALES
Psychological instruments designed to measure personal attitudes on a variety of topics and issues.Typically, attitude scales contain a set of…
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1892 and incorporated in 1925, the APA is the major psychological organization in the United States.Its membership, now…
AMYGDALA (Amygdaloid Complex)
A brain structure located beneath the frontal lobe and involved in the control of emotion and motivation.The amygdala is a…
ANAL CHARACTER
A psychoanalytic term for a group of personality traits believed to stem from the anal stage of psychosexual development.Between the…
ANAL EROTISM
Psychoanalytic term for pleasurable sensations associated with the anal region.These sensations arise in infancy during the anal phase of psychosexual…
ANTISOCIAL REACTION
A form of “socio- pathic personality disturbance” characterized by impulsive, egocentric, unethical behavior.The antisocial, or psychopathic, individual acts as if…
APRAXIA (literally, “inability to act or do”)
Loss of ability to perform purposeful movements or manipulate common objects.This disorder is caused by injury or disease which damages…
ARACHNODACTYLY (Marfan’s syndrome)
A rare inherited disorder characterized by long limbs and spidery hands and feet (the term means “spidery fingers”), and usually…
ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.)
Little is known of the life of this great physician other than the fact that he was bom in the…
ARTERIOSCLEROTIC BRAIN DISORDER
A psychotic disorder caused by hardening of the arteries in the brain; classified by The American Psychiatric Association (1952) as…