DYSAUTONOMIA (Familial Dysauto- nomia)
Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, believed to result from an obscure brain defect. The condition tends to run in…
DYSSOCIAL REACTION
A “socio- pathic” personality disorder in which the individual adopts a delinquent or criminal way of life as a result…
DREAM INTERPRETATION (Historical)
The belief that dreams have a special significance is practically universal. They have been an object of curiosity in all…
DREAM INTERPRETATION (Modern)
As the preceding topic indicates, many provocative ideas on dreams were “in the air” at the turn of the twentieth…
DREAM-STATE (D-STATE, REM- STATE)
A state of the organism that occurs during dreaming, recently found to be physiologically distinct from both the ordinary sleep…
DRUG ADDICTION
Compulsive dependence on the use of narcotic drugs.Drug addiction is characterized not merely by persistent use of a drug, but…
DRUG INTOXICATION
A number of medical drugs have been found to produce mental symptoms when taken in excessive doses over long periods.…
DYNAMIC APPROACH
Dynamic psychology and psychiatry approach the study of human behavior by examining underlying forces of motivation. This approach contrasts with…
DYNAMICS (PSYCHODYNAMICS)
The force or pattern of forces which gives rise to a particular psychological event or condition, such as an act,…
DYNAMISM (Mental Dynamism)
A psychological device used to protect the ego; a defense mechanism, such as compensation or rationalization.Defense mechanism is the more…
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…
DIRECT ANALYSIS
A therapeutic approach developed by John Rosen, in which an attempt is made to understand and communicate directly with the…
DIRECTIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY
An eclectic procedure developed by Frederick C. Thorne, in which the therapist provides the type of treatment needed at each…
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…
DEMONOLOGY
Even before Greek and Roman civilization collapsed under the impact of the barbarian onslaught in the fifth century, the Dark…
DISSOCIATION
The unconscious defense mechanism of keeping conflicting attitudes and impulses apart.This is the common human tendency of not letting the…
DEMYELINATING DISORDERS
These diseases, which include multiple sclerosis and diffuse sclerosis, are due to the degeneration of the insulating (myelin) sheath around…
DISSOCIATIVE REACTION
A psychoneurotic reaction in which a portion of experience is split off, or isolated, from conscious awareness.As a neurotic reaction,…
DENIAL OF REALITY (DENIAL)
The unconscious defense mechanism of denying the existence of painful facts.This technique enables an individual to escape from intolerable thoughts,…
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…