PSYCHOLOGY VOCABULARY

Cognitive Dissonance: The discomfort felt when holding two conflicting beliefs.

Sentence: Jane felt cognitive dissonance when she promoted the importance of saving money, yet bought a pricey handbag.

Neuroplasticity: The brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.

Sentence: Neuroplasticity allows the brain to heal after injury, as seen in stroke recovery patients.

Empathy: The ability to understand and share someone else’s feelings.

Sentence: His empathy towards his friend made him a great listener during tough times.

Repression: Pushing distressing thoughts or memories out of conscious awareness.

Sentence: He repressed the painful memory of his childhood, only to have it resurface later in therapy.

Self-Actualization: The realization of one’s full potential.

Sentence: After years of personal growth, Maria reached self-actualization by pursuing her dream job as an artist.

Conditioning: Learning through associations between stimuli and responses.

Sentence: In Pavlov’s experiment, dogs were conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell.

Self-Esteem: One’s sense of self-worth.

Sentence: Positive feedback at work boosted Mark’s self-esteem and confidence.

Cognitive Bias: A systematic error in thinking that affects decisions and judgments.

Sentence: Confirmation bias led Sarah to only read articles that confirmed her opinions.

Frustration: The idea that frustration leads to aggression.

Sentence: After being stuck in traffic for hours, his frustration turned into aggression when he yelled at the other drivers.