| normality | The psychological characteristics attributed to the majority of people in a population at a given time.
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| self-actualization | The highest level of growth in Maslow's hierarchy.
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| self-concept | The ideas, feelings, and perceptions one has about oneself; also called self-image.
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| self-esteem | Satisfaction and confidence in oneself; the valuing of oneself as a person.
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| autonomy | Independence; the sense of being self-directed.
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| other-directed | Guided in behavior by the values and expectations of others.
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| inner-directed | Guided in behavior by an inner set of rules and values.
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| authenticity | Genuineness.
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| cognitive distortion | A pattern of thinking that makes events seem worse than they are.
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| defense mechanism | A mental mechanism for coping with conflict or anxiety.
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| assertiveness | Expression that is forceful but not hostile.
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| anxiety | A feeling of fear that is not directed toward any definite threat.
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| simple (specific) phobia | A persistent and excessive fear of a specific object, activity, or situation.
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| social phobia | An excessive fear of performing in public; speaking in public is the most common example.
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| panic disorder | A syndrome of severe anxiety attacks accompanied by physical symptoms.
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| agoraphobia | An anxiety disorder characterized by fear of being alone and 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."
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| generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) | An anxiety disorder characterized by excessive, uncontrollable worry about all kinds of things and anxiety in many situations.
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| obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) | An anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, recurring thoughts and the performing of senseless rituals.
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| obsession | A recurrent, irrational, unwanted thought or impulse.
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| compulsion | An irrational, repetitive, forced action, usually associated with an obsession.
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| post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | An anxiety disorder characterized by reliving traumatic events through dreams, flashbacks, and hallucinations.
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| depression | A mood disorder characterized by loss of interest, sadness, hopelessness, loss of appetite, disturbed sleep, and other physical symptoms.
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| electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) | The use of electric shock to induce brief, generalized seizures; used in the treatment of selected psychological disorders.
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| seasonal affective disorder (SAD) | A mood disorder characterized by seasonal depression, usually occurring in winter, when there is less daylight.
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| mania | A mood disorder characterized by excessive elation, irritability, talkativeness, inflated self-esteem, and expansiveness.
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| bipolar disorder | A mental illness characterized by alternating periods of depression and mania.
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| schizophrenia | A psychological disorder that involves a disturbance in thinking and in perceiving reality.
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| 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.
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