Psychology

These are some examples of psychology jargon. Most of these are acronyms because most of these jargon are really long and complicated.


CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

a talking therapy, that aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions and behaviors

ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis

a science that involves using modern behavioral learning theory to modify present behaviors

BIP - Behavior Intervention Plan

a plan that an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) team will improve difficult behavior that is inhibiting a child's academic success

GAD - Generalized Anxiety Disorder

an excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry about everyday things

ODD - Oppositional Defiant Disorder

an ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile and defiant behavior toward authority figures which goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behavior. People who have it may appear very stubborn and angry.

LD - Learning Disability

a learning disability that one can have

WISC - Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

an individual test that does not require reading or writing

DSM - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders  

provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders

Neurosis: 

a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms.

Comorbid:

the presence of one or more disorders (or diseases) in addition to a primary disease or disorder

BPD - Borderline Personality Disorder

an emotional disorder that causes emotional instability, leading to stress and other problems.

Codependency

a tendency to be overly passive or excessively caretaking ways that negatively impact your relationships and quality of life.

Conversion Disorder

A disorder in which a psychological complaint is turned in to a physical symptom. An example of a psychological conversion is getting a headache because one is stressed. 

Decompensation

The break down after one stops taking a medicine for a certain disorder. For example, someone who has a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia may be able to live a fairly normal life with medication. If she stops taking her medication, however, she may lose the ability to maintain normal or decompensate. 

Diffusion of Responsibility

The tendency to avoid taking responsibility for a task or problem because you assume others will do so.

Dissociation

Dissociation is an altered state of consciousness in which your awareness "splits"—it’s what happens when you suddenly realize you don’t remember your drive home because you were thinking about something else.  It’s what happens when you’ve watched a really great movie that felt like it was an hour long when it was actually two.  It’s what happens when you're daydreaming and you have to ask others to repeat what they said. 

DSM

Short for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM is psychology's "bible." It provides information on symptoms, how common the disorder is at any given time, the progress or course of the disorder, and any familiar patterns.

Duty to warn

If a therapist believes that a person can be a threat to anybody, then its his/her duty to warn others. This is one of the few times that confidentiality does not apply to the client-therapist relationship. Duty to warn is sometimes also known as the Tarasoff Law.

Ingroup Bias

A tendency to think the members of your group are better than anyone outside the group. A good example is with sports teams. Everyone who roots for your team is better than everyone who roots against your team.

Malingering

Pretending to have a (psychological) problem or disorder for non-psychological reasons, e.g. to get out of work or other responsibilities, to avoid punishment for criminal behavior, to get money, etc.

Manic

People with bipolar disorder experience ups and downs that are outside the range of what most of us will ever experience. The manic phase of bipolar disorder leaves people feeling either very happy or extremely irritable.

Pathologize

To see or diagnose symptoms or a disorder where one may not exist.

Example: Early psychologists pathologized normal female behavior when they diagnosed women who had emotional outbursts with hysteria.

Psychosis

A loss of contact with reality as most people experience it, usually characterized by hallucinations and/or delusions.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

By acting like if something is true, the individual will make it come true.

V code

A V code is a "problem of living" rather than a disorder. Many V codes refer to relational problems, such as ongoing conflict between siblings, parents and children, and romantic partners.