hypochondriasis an excessive anxiety over aches and pains and overall physical health.
hypomania a mild form of mania in which a person sleeps less, is unusually cheerful and active, and has grandiose or racing thoughts. It can mimic ordinary happiness but in fact may cause overconfidence and impaired judgment.
hysteria a neurotic state characterized by episodes of hallucinations, amnesia, and other mental aberrations.
id in psychoanalytic theory, the component of personality concerned with such instinctual urges as hunger, thirst, sex, and aggression.
idealization projecting overly positive attributes onto oneself or others.
implosive therapy a therapy technique in which a patient is harmlessly frightened as much as possible until anxiety is alleviated.
imprinting the learning of behavior patterns during sensitive periods of growth early in life.
impulsiveness the tendency to act without thinking.
inadequate personality a personality that is inept socially, emotionally, and intellectually.
inappropriate affect behavior, tone of voice, or facial expressions that are opposite of what would normally be expected in a particular context, as when someone laughs after someone dies or appears gloomy after a happy event.
incoherent not making sense; beyond understanding.
insight therapy a therapy technique that attempts to reveal a patient's hidden motives behind a specific behavior.
insomnia sleeplessness; trouble falling or staying asleep.
instinct an inborn, motivational drive, such as the sex drive or the drive to run from danger.
intellectualization overblown or abstract analysis used to rationalize disturbing feelings or troubles.
intermittent explosive disorder a disorder most often found between late adolescence and the late 20s, characterized by out-of-control, angry outbursts that may include physical abuse, thought to be caused by a shortage of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
introspection the examination of one's self and thought processes and feelings, resulting in heightened self-awareness.
introversion a personality trait characterized by an inward or introspective focus, marked by an enjoyment of solitary pursuits and comfort in one's own company.
James-Lange theory a theory that physiologic reactions to an outer stimulus produce the experience of emotion.
koro in Chinese culture, an irrational fear that the penis will retract into the abdomen and cause death.
Korsakoff's psychosis alcoholic psychosis characterized by distorted thinking and loss of memory.
lability an unstable state characterized by rapidly changing moods or behaviors.
lapsus linguae a slip of the tongue.
latency in psychoanalytic theory, the development period between age six and puberty, wherein little occurs in the way of psychosexual development.
latent content in Freudian theory, the underlying or hidden meaning of dreams.
logomania nonstop talking.
logorrhea excessive and irrational talking.
longitudinal study a study involving the same subjects over many years.
loosening of associations disjointed speech with a train of unrelated or disconnected ideas, a symptom of brain damage.
magical thinking a childlike perception of reality, through which wishful thinking is believed to bring about what one wants or that the universe has a preordained plan and that everyone will be taken care of, that coincidences hold meaning, or that everything happens for a reason, all notions unsupported by any scientific validation but which may bring people peace of mind.
malingerer someone who pretends to be ill.
mania elation or euphoria accompanied by irrational behavior, often alternating with deep depression, as in manic-depressive illness. Also, an obsession or crazed desire for something. Manias include the following:
alcohol
dipsomania
animals
zoomania
books
bibliomania
cats
ailuromania
children
pedomania
Christ, delusion that one is
theomania
dancing
choreomania
death
necromania
demons, devil, delusion that
demonomania
one is possessed by
dogs
cynomania
eating
sitomania
fire
pyromania
flowers
anthomania
food
phagomania
genius, delusion that one is
sophomania
horses
hippomania
kill, desire to
dacnomania
money
chrematomania
nakedness
gymnomania
night
noctimania
open places, living out in
agoromania
pleasure
hedonomania
sex
aphrodisiomania
nymphomania
sleep
hypnomania
solitude
automania
stealing
kleptomania
sun
heliomania
talking
logomania
travel
hodomania
washing
ablutomania
wealth
plutomania
women
gynemania
woods
hylomania
manic excited.
manic-depressive psychosis a condition characterized by extreme mood swings, from normal to elated, or from normal to depressed, or a combination of all of the above.
manic episode a temporary condition in bipolar disorder when one may experience grandiose thoughts and euphoria and behave in inappropriate or irrational ways.
marasmus the deterioration and emaciation of an infant due to prolonged maternal separation and deprivation of affection.
martyr one who makes great sacrifices and puts on a display of suffering in order to elicit sympathy. One who is not happy unless he is miserable.
masochism the experience of pleasure from pain inflicted on oneself or inflicted on oneself by others.
mass hysteria a kind of emotional contagion in any group who perceive a threat—such as a terrorist attack—and who may react by crying, screaming, fighting, rioting, or getting sick.
medical school syndrome a common form of hypochondria in which a medical student believes he or she has the symptoms or signs of the disease he or she is studying.
meta analysis a collective study of many previous studies on a particular subject, conducted to uncover subtle trends or to average out findings toward a particular conclusion.
microexpressions fleeting or instantaneous facial expressions that appear and vanish quickly and that can be read by an observer trained to spot them.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory a
widely used test given by psychologists and psychiatrists to measure personality traits and psycho- pathology.
misanthropy an aversion to people.
misogyny an aversion to women.
morbid anxiety extreme, incapacitating anxiety.
moria childish excitement, foolishness, and the inability to act in a serious manner.
multiple personality a rare dissociative disorder in which the person develops or displays more than one distinct personality.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator a personality test used to determine one's preferences, as toward introversion or extroversion, and other personality aspects, to aid in choosing appropriate educational and career pursuits.