Psychology^intro

Paranoia is a disturbed thought process characterised by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion.

Paranoid schizophrenia a subcategory of schizophrenia, whereby an individual possesses an organised and systematic set of delusions or hallucinations, including that of persecution or jealousy.

Parapsychology refers to a branch of psychology that seeks to explain the paranormal (which cannot be explained in terms of normal sensory experience)

Partial reinforcement in operant conditioning, a contingency of reinforcement whereby a response is rewarded or punished only some of the time.

Participant in research, an individual who is the object of study or who participates in an experiment.

Participant observation a research method involving direct participation of the researcher in the events being studied.

Paternal deprivation loss of the father, or growing up without a steady father figure may have deprivation effects, including a range of emotional and social disturbances depending on the nature and length of the absence.

Pathological the quality of being diseased or dysfunctional. Sigmund Freud's psychological theories describe and diagnose the sources of pathological social behavior in individuals.

Peer an individual who is in some way equal to the person with whom they are being compared on a specific dimension.

Peer group a social unit of same-age peers who share common values and standards of behaviour.

Perception the process of selection, meaningful organisation and interpretation of information from the senses.

Personal space the physical region around us that we deem to be our own, in order to regulate interactions with others.

Personality a set of qualities that make a person (or thing) distinct from another.

Personality disorder a group of disorders characterised by pathological trends in personality structure. It may show itself by lack of good judgment or poor relationships with others, accompanied by little anxiety and no personal sense of distress.

Personality inventory a self-report questionnaire that is designed to measure personality characteristics, through questions on personal thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) measures personality along the dimensions of neuroticism - stability and extroversion - introversion.

Pervasive development disorder (PDD) refers to a group of five disorders characterised by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialisation and communication. The most commonly known PDD is autism.

Phallic stage the third stage of development in Freud's theory, from about 3 to 5 years of age, during which the source of gratification is focused on the genitals.

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, justice, beauty, validity, mind, and language.

Phobic disorders (phobias) a type of anxiety disorder, of a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that is often unreasonable and unfounded in proportion to the threat, and which may interfere with an individual’s function in daily life.

Placebo effect when participants display improvements after being administered a placebo, on the belief that it has beneficial powers even though it has none.

Pleasure principle Freud’s proposal that humans are motivated to achieve immediate and maximal pleasure, regardless of the cost.

Post-traumatic stress disorder a type of anxiety disorder that arises as a consequence of the experience of a traumatic event, such as a life-threatening event. Symptoms typically involve a persistent re-experience of the event, through hallucinations, recollections, flashbacks, increased anxiety and guilt.

Projection defence mechanisms whereby which unwanted thoughts are externalised or projected onto someone else.

Projective test a type of personality assessment during which an individual is asked to interpret an ambiguous, abstract stimulus and an individual’s response will reveal unconscious and hidden feelings, motives and conflicts.

Pro-social behaviour behaviour that is believed to help other individuals.

Psychoanalysis a type of psychodynamic therapy devised by Freud, in line with the assumptions of unconscious conflict and psychosexual development. Therapy aims for the patient to gain a deeper understanding of their own unconscious thoughts and feelings through free association and transference.

Psychology the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes.

Psychosis any major mental disorder that involves loss of contact with reality. This usually includes delusions and/or hallucinations.

Psychotic a person afflicted with psychosis.

Psychotherapy any variety of treatment for abnormal behaviour which is primarily verbal in nature, rather than based on the use of drugs.