Glossary - Definitions of Terms
Definitions of Terms
Section titled “Definitions of Terms”This glossary explains important technical terms as they are used throughout the site.
Psychological Fundamentals
Section titled “Psychological Fundamentals”Affect
Section titled “Affect”Is not goal-directed — an emotional state with overwhelming feelings and strong emotional arousal. Not controllable in the moment, outside of oneself — although still perceiving. In psychology, affects are also referred to as moods or feelings.
Aggression
Section titled “Aggression”From the Latin aggredi = to attack. Describes behaviors carried out with the intention of directly or indirectly harming an individual.
Aggression appears as a reaction to a real or seemingly threatening reduction of one’s own power. It is primarily directed against other persons or objects but can secondarily turn against oneself (self-hatred, self-harm, suicide, masochism).
Origin theories of aggression:
- Drive or instinct theory (Freud, Lorenz)
- Frustration-aggression hypothesis (Dollard & Miller)
- Social learning theory of aggression (Bandura & Walters)
A deep connection exists between certain personality disorders and aggression, particularly in borderline personality disorder, where those affected do not at all perceive their aggression as such.
Altruism
Section titled “Altruism”Selfless, self-sacrificing way of life, opposed to egoism (not to be confused with egocentrism). In love: complete surrender of all one’s own needs to the other.
Ambivalence
Section titled “Ambivalence”From the Latin ambi = opposite and valence = value. Two contradictory statements with equal weight (“I love you / I hate you”), or the words say “I love you” while body language shows rejection.
Subtypes:
- Ambivalent behavior (oscillation): Intentional movements of two tendencies that become a single behavioral pattern
- Affective ambivalence: Simultaneous existence of two opposing feelings (e.g., in borderline personality disorder: sexual drive versus shame and disgust)
- Ambivalence conflict: Conflict situations when approaching a particular object
Anxiety
Section titled “Anxiety”First and foremost a natural protective mechanism of every living being. In humans, a state consisting of a mixture of feelings that can no longer be classified. The knowledge of not knowing and its consequences.
Anxiety can only escalate to a certain point, after which it subsides — the body cannot maintain this state permanently. You can only resolve anxiety by confronting the situation. If you run away, anxiety expands proportionally in space and time.
80% of all fears will not come true — unless you make a self-fulfilling prophecy of them.
Association
Section titled “Association”From the Latin socius = ally. A linking of mental contents, which manifests in the fact that the occurrence of one promotes the awareness of another. Describes the connecting of processes or contents (e.g., ideas with feelings).
A psychological or physical state of deficiency that a person attempts to remedy.
Behaviorism
Section titled “Behaviorism”From 1913 to about 1970, one of the main schools of psychology. Behaviorism held the view that psychology should only concern itself with externally observable behavior. The human being is here a biological machine, a pure stimulus-response mechanism — the inner world is a “black box.”
Empathy
Section titled “Empathy”Derived from pathos (Greek: suffering) — co-suffering, co-feeling. The willingness to see things through another’s eyes and to feel oneself into their experience.
Empathy can be learned. The foundation is the mother in the first 4-5 years of life. The more sensitive the mothers are, the more capable the child is of developing compassion and empathy.
Emotions
Section titled “Emotions”States of being, ego states, perceived as arousal, tension, or calm. Inseparably connected with physical changes (breathing, trembling, sweating, gastrointestinal activity, etc.).
Feeling
Section titled “Feeling”Evaluation of a situation — the processing of all unconscious information and the resulting evaluation in the unconscious, which is then explained rationally.
Impulse
Section titled “Impulse”Always goal-directed (against an object = person), arising from thoughts or situations. Normally subject to conscious influence from the neocortex.
In a person with borderline or ADHD, an impulse control disorder is present — they must give in to the impulse, as otherwise an unbearable internal tension arises.
The term Imago comes from the Latin word imago, meaning “image” or “primal image.” In psychology, “Imago” describes the inner image that a person unconsciously carries of important attachment figures (e.g. parents or partners) and relationships.
These inner images encompass more than mere memories:
- They contain feelings (e.g. security, fear, or shame).
- They include expectations (“How do other people behave toward me?”).
- They unconsciously influence our behaviour in relationships.
Imago is closely connected with projection (one’s own feelings are transferred onto others), splitting (black-and-white thinking), and the parental imago (the inner image of the parents).
More on this: Imago — The Inner Map
Intimacy
Section titled “Intimacy”The ability to form a firm bond with another person — sexually, emotionally, and morally. Requires four prerequisites:
- Openness
- Courage
- Moral strength
- The ability to compromise on one’s own preferences
Cognition
Section titled “Cognition”Collective term for all processes related to awareness and recognition: perception, memories, ideas, concepts, thoughts, assumptions, expectations, plans, and problem-solving.
Comorbidity
Section titled “Comorbidity”When symptoms of at least two different disorders appear together and there are assumptions about why these disorders occur together (common causes, chain reaction, consequence of…).
Conditioning
Section titled “Conditioning”A coined term for the development of conditioned reflexes through learning (following the method of Pavlov).
Trigger
Section titled “Trigger”A stimulus — a situation, an image, a piece of music — that brings unprocessed states from the subconscious into consciousness and results in an emotional state.
Repression
Section titled “Repression”A more highly developed protective mechanism (defense mechanism of the EGO) of the psyche. Involves the partial admission and processing of what happened = repression (in the psychoanalytic sense).
To be distinguished from suppression: When you consciously try to banish an experience from your thoughts.
Displacement
Section titled “Displacement”The relocation of the source of satisfaction from the original object to a less dangerous, less anxiety-provoking object. The contained aggression is not directed at the original object but transferred to a weaker one.
Example: Mother always scolds the child for getting dirty. Child scolds the doll: “You shouldn’t always get so dirty.”
A feeling connected with helplessness, powerlessness, and loss of control of the situation.
Nervous System
Section titled “Nervous System”Sympathetic Nervous System
Section titled “Sympathetic Nervous System”A bundle of nerve fibers, part of the autonomic nervous system, which supplies the internal organs and has a stimulating, arousing influence.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Section titled “Parasympathetic Nervous System”A bundle of nerve fibers, part of the autonomic nervous system, which supplies the internal organs and has a calming influence.
Psychosis
Section titled “Psychosis”A disturbance of thinking and feeling. Divided into three categories:
Affective Disorder
Section titled “Affective Disorder”Characterized by exaggerated emotional states and swings between extremes. The three most well-known are: manic, depressive, and manic-depressive.
Schizophrenia
Section titled “Schizophrenia”A severe mental disorder with delusions, perceptual disturbances, hallucinations, thought and speech disorders, and inappropriate emotional expressions.
Paranoid States
Section titled “Paranoid States”Excessively sensitive to rejection, excessively resentful and suspicious. Friendly or neutral actions of others are classified as hostile, unfounded suspicions (especially toward sexual partners).
Concept of Illness
Section titled “Concept of Illness”Ill by medical definition: “One who harms oneself, has been harmed, or harms others.”