CHOLINERGIC
Activated or transmitted by acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is one of the two types of “chemical transmitters” in the nervous system; the…
COLOR SOLID
A three-dimensional figure representing all degrees and combinations of hue, saturation, and brightness in the perception of color; also called…
CINGULATE GYRUS (Literally “ring- shaped ridge”)
The cortical part of the limbic system of the brain, lying just above the corpus callosum (plate 1).Although the functions…
CIRCUMSTANTIALITY
Circuitous, “labyrinthine” speech; the inclusion of numerous trivial and often irrelevant details in relating an incident, explaining a point, or…
CIVILIAN CATASTROPHE REACTIONS
Transient situational personality disorders resulting from severely traumatic experiences in civilian life, classified by the American Psychiatric Association (1952) under…
CLANG ASSOCIATION
An association of words or ideas by similarity of sound.Young children often use clang associations when they talk or sing…
CLIENT-CENTERED THERAPY
The nondirective approach developed by Carl Rogers, in which psychotherapy is viewed as an opportunity for the patient to grow…
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
A field of psychology devoted to psychological methods of diagnosing and treating mental and emotional disorders, as well as research…
CLOUDING OF CONSCIOUSNESS
A mental disturbance in which the individual is unable to perceive, understand, and think clearly.When a patient’s consciousness becomes clouded…
CLUTTERING (Tachyphemia)
Excessively rapid, arhythmic speech with a tendency to stutter, jumble words, omit syllables, and reverse parts of words. According to…
COCAINE HABITUATION
Psychological dependence on cocaine resulting in habitual use.Cocaine, a drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant and long…
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE (Dissonance Theory)
A state of conflict occurring when beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information. Dissonance theory holds that the conflict…
CHEMOTHERAPY
The use of psychoactive (psychotropic) drugs in the treatment of mental disorder. Chemotherapy is a branch of the larger field…
CANAJLIZATION
A tendency to channel needs into specific, fixed gratifications.The hunger drive is unselective in the first few years. Young children…
CANNON, WALTER BRADFORD (1871-1945)
Cannon, America’s foremost physiologist, was associated with the Harvard Medical School during his entire career—first as student, then as instructor…
CATTELL, JAMES iMcKEEN (1860- 1944)
Cattell did more than any psychologist of his time to advance the cause of experimental psychology in this country. He…
CEREA FLEXIBILITAS (Waxy Flexibility)
A common symptom of catatonic schizophrenia in which the limbs of the patient remain in any position in which they…
CEREBELLUM
A roughly spherical part of the hindbrain, located beneath the cerebral hemispheres (plate 1). The structure gets its name, which…
CEREBRAL CORTEX
The gray “bark,” or surface layer of the cerebral hemispheres, containing the nerve cells involved in the higher mental processes.…