Borderline Personality Disorder: overview, symptoms, causes, history, and treatment Borderline personality disorder A comprehensive, accessible overview of borderline personality disorder (BPD): core features, diagnosis, history, causes, treatment approaches, comorbidity, and key distinctions.
Brenda Milner: Pioneer of Clinical Neuropsychology Brenda Milner British-Canadian neuropsychologist whose clinical and experimental work established multiple memory systems and shaped modern cognitive neurology and neuropsychology.
Brief psychotic disorder: definition, causes, diagnosis, and treatment Brief psychotic disorder A short-lived psychotic condition marked by sudden onset of delusions, hallucinations or disorganized behavior lasting less than one month; often follows stress, medical problems o…
Carl Gustav Jung: life, ideas and influence Carl Jung Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung (1875–1961) founded analytical psychology. He introduced concepts such as the collective unconscious, archetypes, introversion and extraversion and…
Carrot and stick: incentive and punishment as a behavioural strategy Carrot and Stick The 'carrot and stick' metaphor describes using rewards and punishments to influence behaviour. It appears across parenting, management, politics, and animal training, with strengt…
Cataplexy: sudden emotion‑triggered muscle weakness Cataplexy Cataplexy is a sudden, brief loss of voluntary muscle control often brought on by strong emotions. Linked with narcolepsy, it is diagnosed clinically and managed with medication an…
Catatonia: clinical features, causes, diagnosis, and management Catatonia Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric syndrome of marked motor and behavioral disturbance, including stupor, mutism, and posturing. This article outlines signs, causes, diagnosis, and tr…
Child development: stages, influences, and practical significance Child development An overview of child development covering main domains, key influences, historical theories, practical uses, and considerations for atypical development from birth to the end of ad…
Child grooming: definition, signs, prevention and response Child grooming Child grooming is the deliberate process by which an adult builds trust with a child (and often their caregivers) to prepare for sexual abuse or exploitation. This article explains…
Child Prodigy: Definition, Traits, History and Development Child prodigy An accessible overview of child prodigies: definition, typical characteristics, historical examples, developmental outcomes, educational support, and how prodigy differs from gifte…
Chronic stress: causes, effects, and ways to manage it Chronic stress Chronic stress is persistent stress over long periods that alters physiology and behavior. This article explains causes, biological mechanisms, health impacts, signs, and practical…
Classical conditioning (Pavlovian conditioning) Classical conditioning A learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an automatic response; foundational experiments were performed by Ivan Pavlov and the phenomenon underpins ma…
Claustrophobia: fear of enclosed spaces, symptoms, causes, and treatment Claustrophobia Claustrophobia is a specific anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear of confined spaces. This article explains symptoms, triggers, causes, and common treatments in clear, en…
Clinical psychology: practice, assessment, history, and training Clinical psychology Clinical psychology studies, assesses, prevents and treats psychological disorders through assessment, psychotherapy, research and consultation across health, education and communi…
Codependency: patterns, origins, signs, and recovery Co-dependency Codependency is a relational pattern in which a person excessively prioritizes another’s needs at the expense of their own wellbeing. This article explains features, causes, conseq…
Cognition: mental processes of perception, memory, and thought Cognition Cognition comprises the mental processes by which organisms perceive, learn, remember, reason and make decisions. It is investigated across psychology, neuroscience, linguistics an…
Cognitive bias Systematic deviations from rational judgment arising from mental shortcuts, emotions, social influences, and evolutionary adaptations that affect perception, memory, and decision-m…
Cognitive dissonance Psychological theory describing the mental discomfort when a person holds inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or values and the strategies used to reduce that tension.
Cognitive distortions: types, causes, and approaches to treatment Cognitive distortions Persistent biased or irrational thought patterns that skew perception, increase distress, and maintain problems such as anxiety and depression; commonly addressed in cognitive ther…
Cognitive impairment — causes, types, diagnosis, and management Cognitive impairment An overview of cognitive impairment: definitions, common causes (congenital and acquired), types (global and specific), assessment, treatment approaches, and distinctions from rela…
Cognitive Neuropsychology: Linking Mind, Brain Injury, and Cognitive Models Cognitive neuropsychology Cognitive neuropsychology studies how brain injury affects mental processes to infer normal cognitive architecture. It combines clinical case studies, lesion analysis, and modern i…
Cognitive psychology: mental processes, history, methods, and applications Cognitive psychology Survey of cognitive psychology: core concepts (perception, memory, language, reasoning), origins, research methods, applications in education, therapy, AI, and links to neuroscienc…
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): overview, methods, and clinical uses Cognitive-behavioral therapy Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. This article covers principles, techniqu…
Color blindness (color vision deficiency) Color blindness Overview of color vision deficiency: causes, common types, diagnosis, management, prevalence, historical notes, and practical implications for daily life and occupations.
Compensation (psychology) Psychological compensation is a coping strategy in which people counterbalance perceived weaknesses by developing strengths or behaviors; it can be adaptive or maladaptive and appe…
Conduct disorder: symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment Conduct disorder Conduct disorder is a childhood or adolescent behavioral disorder marked by repeated violations of others' rights and social norms. This article reviews symptoms, causes, diagnosis…
Conscience: the moral sense that guides judgment and action Conscience Conscience is the human faculty for judging right and wrong and feeling obligation or remorse. This article explains its nature, history, psychological role, examples, and distinct…
Consciousness: concepts, states, and scientific perspectives Consciousness An accessible overview of consciousness: definitions across fields, states and measurement, subconscious processes, historical debates, and why consciousness remains a scientific a…
Contentment: Definition, Sources, and Psychological Perspectives Contentment An overview of contentment and satisfaction: definitions, common sources, historical and psychological perspectives, distinctions from pleasure, and practical implications for well…
Coprolalia: involuntary obscene speech, causes and context Coprolalia Coprolalia is the involuntary utterance of obscene or socially inappropriate words. It occurs in a minority of people with tic disorders and can appear after brain injury or in som…
Coprophilia (scat-play): definition, risks, and cultural context Coprophilia Coprophilia—also called scat-play or scat kink—is a paraphilia involving sexual interest in feces. This article covers definitions, characteristics, health risks, legal and social…
Cortex: meanings in anatomy, botany and other fields Cortex Cortex (Latin for bark or shell) names outer layers in biology, medicine and material sciences — from the cerebral cortex to plant and adrenal cortex — describing structure and fun…
Counselor: Role, Types, Training, and Common Settings Counselor Overview of what counselors do, typical types and credentials, common methods and settings, examples of issues addressed, and distinctions from related professions.
Cross-cultural psychology: study of culture and human behavior Cross-cultural psychology Cross-cultural psychology examines how cultural contexts shape thoughts, emotions, and behavior, comparing groups, identifying universal patterns, and addressing methodological cha…
Curiosity: nature, development, and role in learning Curiosity Curiosity is a motivational state that drives exploration, investigation, and learning in humans and many animals. This article explains its features, development, neural role, use…
Cyberphobia: fear of computers and digital technology Cyberphobia Cyberphobia is an excessive fear or anxiety about computers and new digital technologies. It can hinder learning, work, and everyday tasks but may be reduced through training, expo…
Decision-making: process, theories, and practical uses Decision-making An overview of decision-making: how individuals and groups choose actions, key models and biases, historical development, and applications in business, policy, and everyday life.
Defense mechanism (psychology) Defense mechanism Psychological strategies, often unconscious, that protect the self from anxiety or distress; includes repression, denial, projection, and more, with adaptive and maladaptive forms.
Delusion: definition, types, diagnosis, history and clinical considerations Delusion An overview of delusions: false beliefs associated with psychiatric conditions, their types, diagnostic challenges, history, treatment approaches, legal and social implications.
Dementia praecox — historical psychiatric diagnosis Dementia praecox A historical psychiatric label introduced by Bénédict Morel and developed by Kraepelin, later reframed by Bleuler as schizophrenia. It described early-onset psychosis once thought…
Denial: psychological concept, forms, and practical implications Denial Denial is a common psychological response in which people reject or minimize reality to avoid distress. This article explains its forms, history, distinctions, examples, and when i…
Dependent personality disorder (DPD) Dependent personality disorder Dependent personality disorder is a long-term condition marked by excessive psychological reliance on others for emotional and practical needs, affecting relationships, decision-ma…
Depressants (Central Nervous System Depressants) Depressant Drugs that reduce central nervous system activity — including alcohol, benzodiazepines and barbiturates — used for anxiety, insomnia and seizures but associated with dependence, ov…
Depression (mood) A prolonged low mood and loss of interest that alters thoughts, behavior, and bodily functions; ranges from normal sadness to clinical depressive disorders requiring care.
Derealization: feeling that the world is unreal Derealization Derealization is a perceptual disturbance where the external world feels strange, dreamlike, or emotionally muted. It appears in stress, trauma, substance use, and some psychiatric…
Developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia) Developmental coordination disorder Developmental coordination disorder (also called dyspraxia) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that impairs motor coordination and daily activities; diagnosis, causes, and…
Developmental psychology: study of psychological change across the lifespan Developmental psychology Developmental psychology examines how thinking, emotion, behaviour and social understanding change from infancy through old age, covering cognitive, motor, language, moral and iden…
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Authoritative manual published by the American Psychiatric Association that defines and classifies mental disorders for clinical, research, insurance and public health use; periodi…
