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Core Concepts in Health Cover Image
Core Concepts in Health, 9/e
Paul M. Insel, Stanford University School of Medicine
Walton T. Roth, Stanford University School of Medicine

Psychological Health


normality  The psychological characteristics attributed to the majority of people in a population at a given time.
self-actualization  The highest level of growth in Maslow's hierarchy.
self-concept  The ideas, feelings, and perceptions one has about oneself; also called self-image.
self-esteem  Satisfaction and confidence in oneself; the valuing of oneself as a person.
autonomy  Independence; the sense of being self-directed.
other-directed  Guided in behavior by the values and expectations of others.
inner-directed  Guided in behavior by an inner set of rules and values.
authenticity  Genuineness.
cognitive distortion  A pattern of thinking that makes events seem worse than they are.
defense mechanism  A mental mechanism for coping with conflict or anxiety.
assertiveness  Expression that is forceful but not hostile.
anxiety  A feeling of fear that is not directed toward any definite threat.
*simple (specific) phobia  A persistent and excessive fear of a specific object, activity, or situation.
social phobia  An excessive fear of performing in public; speaking in public is the most common example.
panic disorder  A syndrome of severe anxiety attacks accompanied by physical symptoms.
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)  An anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, recurring thoughts and the performing of senseless rituals.
obsession  A recurrent, irrational, unwanted thought or impulse.
compulsion  An irrational, repetitive, forced action, usually associated with an obsession.
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  An anxiety disorder characterized by reliving traumatic events through dreams, flashbacks, and hallucinations.
depression  A mood disorder characterized by loss of interest, sadness, hopelessness, loss of appetite, disturbed sleep, and other physical symptoms.
mania  A mood disorder characterized by excessive elation, irritability, talkativeness, inflated self-esteem, and expansiveness.
bipolar disorder  A mental illness characterized by alternating periods of depression and mania.
schizophrenia  A psychological disorder that involves a disturbance in thinking and in perceiving reality.
stimulus  Anything that causes a response.
response  A reaction to a stimulus.
reinforcement  Increasing the future probability of a response by following it with a reward.
exposure  A therapeutic technique for treating fear, in which the subject learns to come into direct contact with a feared situation.
agoraphobia  An anxiety disorder characterized by fear of being alone away from help and avoidance of many different places and situations; in extreme cases, a fear of leaving home. From the Greek for "fear of the public market".
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)  An anxiety disorder characterized by excessive, uncontrollable worry about all kinds of things and anxiety in many situations.
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)  The use of electric shock to induce brief, generalized seizures; used in the treatment of selected psychological disorders.
seasonal affective disorder (SAD)  A mood disorder characterized by seasonal depression, usually occurring in winter when there is less daylight.
placebo  A chemically inactive substance that a patient believes is an effective medical therapy for his or her condition. To help evaluate a therapy, medical researchers compare the effects of a particular therapy with the effects of a placebo. The "placebo effect" occurs when a patient responds to a placebo as if it were an active drug.
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)  A disorder characterized by persistent, pervasive problems with inattention and/or hyperactivity to a degree that is not considered appropriate for a child's developmental stage and that causes significant difficulties in school, work, or relationships.