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…
ALCOHOLIC ADDICTION
Chronic dependence on the use of alcoholic beverages. In 1949 a committee of the World Health Organization defined alcoholics as…
ALLOPSYCHIC
A general term characterizing the assignment or projection of one’s own thoughts or ideas to people or events in the…
ABSOLUTE THRESHOLD
The minimum level of stimulation that can be detected 50 per cent of the time; also called “detection threshold.” What…
ACATHISIA (AKATHISIA, AKATIZIA)
While this term literally means “not sitting,” and was originally applied to an impaired ability to sit down or sit…
ACHIEVEMENT TESTS
Tests designed to measure knowledge or skill attained through training in a specific subject or area. Achievement tests are usually…
ACROCEPHALY
A disorder characterized by an exceptionally high skull and severe mental retardation. In one syndrome (Crouzon) these symptoms are associated…
ACTIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY
A treatment procedure in which the patient is directed to make a graduated series of changes in his behavior. Active…
ACT PSYCHOLOGY
Formulated by the German philosopher Franz Bren- tano (1838-1917) in 1874, this approach proposed to focus psychological investigation on psychic…
ADOLESCENCE (Theories)
Adolescence is probably the most controversial of all periods of human development. Since the beginning of this century literally dozens…
ADRENAL GLANDS
A pair of endocrine glands, located above the kidneys, which secrete hormones that control emotional reactions and basic life processes…
AEROPHAGIA (Aerophagy)
This term means, literally, “air-eating,” and applies to automatic swallowing or gulping of air as a psychiatric symptom.Excessive swallowing of…