The word “fugue” can mean many things, but in psychology, fugue definition refers to a state of temporary amnesia during which the patient forgets everything, including who they are and other identifying characteristics. “Fugue” comes from the Latin word for “flight”, and since sufferers of the condition invariably flee their life and eventually “wake up” […]
What is Pica Disease?
What is Pica Disease? If you are suffering from Pica Disease, you crave all kinds of strange substances, and not necessarily edible ones. The disorder can affect people or pets, so if your dog keeps eating coal and your child has a fondness for chewing the soil in the garden, Pica Disease is probably the […]
What is Catatonia?
What is catatonia? Catatonia is a series of disorders that are defined as a state of motor immobility or muscular disturbances. It is a rare condition often associated with schizophrenia and depression, although it can also be caused by other conditions. What are the symptoms of catatonia? Catatonic features can be symptomatic of a number […]
How to Define Cognitive Dissonance?
How to define cognitive dissonance? Cognitive dissonance is an interesting concept related to psychology that is used to describe the uncomfortable feeling we experience when one tightly held belief, idea, value, emotion or “cognition” conflicts with another. The discrepancy between the two must be resolved in order for the dissonance to be reduced or eliminated […]
What is Sadism?
What is sadism? Sadism is the opposite of masochism and it means to experience pleasure and gratification (not always sexual) from inflicting pain on others. Although there have been references to sadism as a sexual practice in literature for centuries, it was not until the 19th century that sadism was described as an actual medical […]
What is the Definition of a Psychopath?
What is the definition of a psychopath? If you are a fan of “slasher” movies, you probably think a psychopath is the homicidal maniac character who happily spends ninety minutes of viewing time dispatching his victims in imaginative and gruesome ways, but in fact the definition of a psychopath is a little more complicated than […]
What is apraxia – Definition and Description?
What is apraxia: definition and description? Apraxia is neurological disorder arising from disease or injury to the brain. A patient with apraxia loses their ability to execute certain motor movements such as licking the lips or dressing. The patient will know how to do these tasks, and want to do them, but because of the […]
What is Selective Attention? Definition, Theory and Example
What is selective attention? In psychology, selective attention is a process whereby the brain selectively filters out large amounts of sensory information in order to focus on just one message. This allows the person to concentrate on the important information while ignoring the irrelevant stuff. What is Selective Attention and What Does it do? When […]
Examples of Assimilation and Accommodation
The concepts of assimilation and accommodation relate to Piaget’s theories of child development and through the course of his research he produced several examples of assimilation and accommodation to illustrate the theories he was expounding. What do the terms assimilation and accommodation actually mean? Piaget was an expert in the field of child development and […]
BF Skinner Operant Conditioning Theory
The psychologist, B.F. Skinner, is credited with the development of the operant conditioning theory, which is sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning and is considered to be one of the fundamental concepts in behavioral psychology. What is the BF Skinner operant conditioning theory and how did it come about? B.F. Skinner was a professor of […]