Mental Health Dictionary
This dictionary provides meanings to terms often used by
Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists and Psychiatrists.
A
Acrophobia - The fear of high places or of being in the air.
Adjustment Disorder - A diagnosis given to an individual when they are
having emotional or behavioral symptoms that have developed in response
to a stressful situation; the individual's reaction is either abnormal (more
extreme than what one would expect) or the individual's ability to work,
attend school, or participate in activities with friends and family begins to
suffer. For further information see Adjustment Disorders.
Adlerian Therapy (Individual Psychology) - Based on the belief that all
human behavior has a purpose and is goal-oriented, that we strive for
social connectedness, and that we suffer our emotional difficulties due to
feelings of inferiority and not having a sense of community. Founder: Alfred
Adler (1870-1937). True change and growth results from identifying,
exploring, and changing mistaken goals and beliefs. Therapy is seen as a
re-education process leading to greater social participation and fewer
feelings of inferiority.
Affect - Is an individual's expression of mood, temperament, and feelings.
Anxiety - A feeling of uneasiness, tension, and sense of imminent danger.
When such a feeling occurs within a person with no specific cause in the
environment, it is known as free-floating anxiety. When it recurs frequently
and interferes with effective living or a sense of well-being or is otherwise
maladaptive, it is known as an Anxiety Disorder. (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Anxiety Disorder - A chronic or recurring state of tension, worry, fear, and
uneasiness arising from unknown or unrecognized perceptions of danger or
conflict. Types of Anxiety Disorders include, Acute Stress Disorder,
Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder, Panic Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Social Phobia,
and Specific Phobia.
Art Therapy - Use of art and creativity as a way to get at deeper feelings
and greater self-knowledge. Based on the belief that accessing the more
creative or right brain part of us is helpful in identifying what is going on
emotionally and can be a part of the healing process.
Avoidant Personality Disorder - Is one in which the individual is
hypersensitive to potential rejection, has low self-esteem, is socially
withdrawn, and is generally unwilling to enter social relationships unless
there is an assurance of uncritical acceptance. For further information see
Personality Disorders.
B
Behavioral Therapy - Founded on the belief that true change and
movement towards goals is accomplished through action and that disorders
are learned ways of behaving that are maladaptive. If we can learn to
change our behavior, then our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes will also
change. Common behavioral techniques include systematic desensitization
(gradual exposure to an anxiety-provoking situation paired with relaxation),
using reinforcements for desired behaviors, and aversion therapy to
extinguish unwanted behaviors.
Biofeedback Therapy - Use of electronic systems to monitor internal
processes such as heart rate, brain waves, or perspiration to help an
individual become more aware of their physiological responses and learn to
have more control over them.
Borderline Intellectual Functioning - Intelligence abilities that measure
on intelligence quotient (IQ) tests at the 71 to 84 range (just below a
dull-normal and just above the highest level of Mental Retardation)(The
Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
C
Childhood Disorders - These are disorders usually first diagnosed in
infancy, childhood, or adolescence, however, some of these disorders may
not be present for clinical attention until adulthood. Childhood Disorders
include Attention-Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Communication
Disorders, Elimination Disorders, Feeding and Eating, Disorders, Learning
Disorders, Mental Retardation, Motor Skills Disorders, Pervasive
Development Disorders, Tic Disorders and Other Childhood Disorders.
Christian/Bible-Based Therapy - Counseling is founded on what is written
in the Bible. Based on the belief that Scripture is the final authority for what
kinds of decisions an individual should make or how they should live their
life.
Client-Centered Therapy - Individuals are believed to be in the best
position to resolve their issues if the therapist can establish a warm,
accepting, and safe environment in which the individual feels free to talk
about his/her issues and can gain insight into them. This type of therapy is
non-directive because the therapist typically does not give advice or make
interpretations. Founder: Carl Rogers (1902-19987) who believed that
individuals are trustworthy and have a great potential for self-awareness
and self-directed growth given a nurturing environment. The function of the
therapist is to be genuine, accepting, and empathetic. Techniques are seen
as less important.
Clinical Social Worker - An individual who specializes in a form of direct
social work practice with individuals, couples, families, groups, and the
community. The clinician uses the professional application of social work
theory and methods to the treatment and prevention of psychosocial
dysfunction, disability, or impairment, including emotional and mental
disorders. The clinician's social work practice includes emphasis on the
person-in environment perspective.
Coach - A personal coach focuses on bridging the gap between your
current reality and your true priorities or goals. Unlike therapy, coaching is
an action-oriented process that addresses your future, rather than your
past. A good coach will (1) ask questions that uncover your own inner
wisdom, (2) provide advice and information to help you avoid common
pitfalls, and (3) provide the structure and focus necessary to accomplish
your goals. A personal coach is your "cheerleader" supporting you in the
process of reaching your goals.
Codependence - A relationship between two or more individuals who rely
on each other to meet and provide for reciprocal needs, particularly
unhealthy emotional ones.
Cognition - The mental process of recognizing, understanding,
remembering, and evaluating relevant information. (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Seeks to predict, regulate and control the
individual's problematic behavior by also understanding the importance of
the inner mental and emotional world of individuals. To change the
troubling feelings to more positive ones, it is necessary to help individuals
identify their thoughts, analyze them with respect to their rationality and
challenge those that are ill-formed and exaggerated. The therapist helps
the individual by teaching them to view his/her thinking as a type of
behavior that he/she can bring under conscious control with positive
results. The therapist tends to be fairly directive and focused on the
individuals' presenting problem.
Cognitive Disorders - The inability to recognize, understand, remember, or
evaluate relevant information necessary to perform the activities of daily
living. Cognitive Disorders include Amnestic Disorder, Delirium, and
Dementia.
Cognitive Dissonance - The mental state in which a person experiences
two or more incompatible beliefs or cognitions simultaneously. In the
healthy individual, this state usually leads to psychological discomfort that
remains until the person acts to clarify the discrepancy. (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Cognitive Therapy - Therapy is based on the belief that faulty thinking
patterns and belief systems cause psychological problems and that
changing our thoughts improves our mental and emotional health and
results in changes in behavior.
Counselor - Anyone who provides counseling. This term is often applied to
highly trained mental health, education, or legal professionals, but it is also
used for volunteers with minimal training and for paid workers who provide
guidance and structure in group settings. (The Social Work Dictionary by
Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Countertransference - A set of conscious or unconscious emotional
reactions to a client experienced by the therapist or other mental health
professional, usually in a clinical setting. According to psychodynamic
theory, these feelings originate in the therapist's own developmental
conflicts and are projected onto the client. Countertransference is identical
to transference except that it applies to the feelings, wishes, and defensive
operations of the therapist toward the client. Like transference, it must be
constantly monitored and understood. (The Social Work Dictionary by
Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Crisis - An internal experience of emotional change and distress, which an
individual is unable to handle. A crisis is considered to be precipitated by a
perceived life problem or to pose an obstacle to an important goal resulting
in internal discord due to the individual's inability to cope. The outcome of
the crisis can be positive if the individual can learn new coping skills to help
them through the situation.
D
Delusions - Is an inaccurate but strongly held belief retained by an
individual despite evidence to the contrary or despite cultural norms that do
not support such beliefs. Delusions are often a characteristic of psychosis
or paranoid ideation.
Dependent Personality Disorder - Is one in which the individual is
generally passive in most relationships, allows others to assume
responsibilities, lacks self-confidence, feels helpless, and tends to tolerate
abusiveness from others. For further information see Personality Disorders.
Depression - An emotional reaction frequently characterized by sadness,
discouragement, despair, pessimism about the future, reduced activity and
productivity, sleep disturbance or excessive fatigue, and feelings of
inadequacy, self-effacement, and hopelessness. In some individuals, such
traits may be mild, intermittent, and undetectable by observers, but in
others they may be constant and intense. In its more severe forms, it may
be considered a Mood Disorder (e.g. Bipolar Disorder, Cyclothymic
Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder). (The Social
Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Dissociative Disorders - A type of mental disorder characterized by a
sudden, temporary change in the normally integrative functions of
consciousness, identity, and memory. Specific forms of the Dissociative
Disorders include Depersonalization Disorder, Dissociative Amnesia,
Dissociative Fugue, Dissociative Identity Disorder and Depersonalization
Disorder. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW
Press)
Dream Analysis - Process of determining the meanings of dreams through
symbols, myths, free association, and memories. There are a variety of
philosophies and approaches for analyzing dreams including Adlerian
(dreams are projections of an individual's current concerns), Gestalt (every
individual and object in a dream represents an aspect of the dreamer), and
psychoanalytic (dreams are a key tow hat is happening in an individual's
unconscious).
Dysthymic Disorder - A mood disorder characterized by sadness,
pessimism, dyssomnia (sleep disorder), poor appetite or overeating,
irritability (especially in children), fatigue, low self-esteem, and
indecisiveness, symptoms that occur most of each day, most days, for at
least two years. This disorder differs from Major Depressive Disorder in that
its symptoms are usually less severe but exist almost continuously for
years. For more specific information see Mood Disorders.
E
Eating Disorders - Maladaptive or unhealthy patterns of eating and
ingestion. There are two major types of Eating Disorders - (1) Anorexia
Nervosa and (2) Bulimia Nervosa. Eating Disorders first diagnosed during
infancy or early childhood include Pica and Rumination Disorder. (The
Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Eclectic Therapy - There are several schools of psychotherapy each with
its own organizing philosophy, procedures, techniques, and methods. Some
therapists are theoretically "pure" in that they do all of their clinical practice
within the bounds of the teachings of one particular school of therapy.
Other therapists (the majority) mix and match techniques, methods and
assumptions drawn from the different schools of psychotherapy to create
an eclectic way of doing therapy. Eclecticism can be good because each of
the therapies have their strengths and weaknesses and with proper
"blending" can provide an effective therapeutic tool to help individuals.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) of Electroschock Therapy (EST) -
Treatments administered by physicians, primarily neurologists and
psychiatrists, in which convulsions are induced in individuals by applying
small amounts of electrical currents to the brain. Its purpose is to treat
individuals who suffer certain types of mental disorders (e.g., severe
depression, mood disorder, psychosis), when medications and other
treatments have not been responsive to address the symptoms of the
mental illness.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) -
Technique of restructuring thought patterns and associations related to
traumatic events and memories and other sources of emotional distress.
Method was developed by Francine Shapiro when she discovered that
rapid-eye movements combined with focusing on disturbing thoughts and
memories produced a calming effect.
Empowerment - The process of helping individuals, families, groups, and
communities increase their personal, interpersonal, socioeconomic, and
political strength and develop influence toward improving their
circumstances. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999,
NASW Press)
Enmeshment - When two or more individuals weave their lives and
identities around one another so tightly that it is difficult for any one of them
to function independently. Detachment, on the other hand, is when
individuals are so independent in their functioning that it is difficult to figure
out how they are related to one another. Healthy relationships are thought
to have a balance between enmeshment and detachment.
Existential Therapy - A philosophy of life, rather than a specific therapy,
which focuses on free will, responsibility for choices, and search for
meaning and purpose through suffering, love, and work. Individuals are
seen as constantly changing and becoming their true selves. Searching
within and finding one's own answers is encouraged. Emphasis is on the
present and future, not the past.
F
Factitious Disorder - Behavior that appears to be abnormal or a symptom
of mental illness but is probably under the subject's voluntary control. It is
similar to malingering, except that in Factitious Disorder there is no
apparent
material or tangible benefit to be gained from the playing the "sick"
role; the subject's apparent intention is to elicit attention, caring
and concern from significant others or professionals. For further information see Factitious Disorder. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Family Systems Therapy - Therapy which looks at the entire family as a
complex system having its own language, roles, rules, beliefs, needs, and
patterns. Each family member plays a part in the system and family systems
therapy helps an individual discover how their family operated, their role in
the system, and how it affects them in their current family and in
relationships outside the family.
Feminist Therapy - A therapy which focuses on empowering women and
helping women discover how to break free from some of the traditional
molds that they may feel are blocking their growth and development.
Feminist therapy tends to be more focused on strengthening women in
areas such as communication, assertiveness, self-esteem, and
relationships.
Flashback - A mental sensation of a sudden recurrence of a previous
experience or perception. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker,
1999, NASW Press)
G
Global Village - The interconnectedness of all the world's people because
of technological advances in communication (e.g. internet), travel, cultural
exchanges, and economic integration. (The Social Work Dictionary by
Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Gestalt Therapy - Experiential therapy emphasizing what is happening in
the here and now to help individuals become more self-aware and learn
responsibility for and integration of thoughts, feelings, and actions. A goal
is to develop more internal vs. external support. Techniques include
confrontation, role-playing, and the empty-chair or dialogue between two
parts of a personality. Founder: Frederick S. (fritz) Perls (1893 - 1970) who
believed that individuals must find their own way in life and accept
responsibility for who they are to reach maturity.
Guarded - Is when an individual will hold within themselves information that
may be requested of another because they do not trust that individual ... in
essence, what the individual believes they are doing is protecting
themselves from harm.
H
Hallucination - An imagined perception of some object or phenomenon
that is not really present. Often a symptom of a psychosis, it may involve
hearing nonexistent voices (auditory hallucination), seeing objects that are
not there (visual hallucination), smelling (olfactory hallucination), tasting
(gustatory hallucination), and touching (haptic hallucination). (The Social
Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Holistic - Oriented toward the understanding and treatment of the whole
person or phenomenon. In this view, an individual is seen as being more
than the sum of separate parts, and problems are seen in a broader
context rather than as specific symptoms. One who maintains a holistic
philosophy seeks to integrate all the social, cultural, psychological, and
physical influences of an individual. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert
L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
I
Impulse Control Disorders - A diagnostic group of mental disorders
characterized by the repeated inability to resist some temptation that is
harmful to one's self or others. In most cases, the individual becomes
increasingly tense before succumbing to the temptation, feels pleasure and
emotional release on completing the act, and then experiences regret after
the act is over. Impulse Control Disorders include Intermittent Explosive
Disorder, Kleptomania, Pathological Gambling, Pyromania and
Trichotillomania. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999,
NASW Press)
Independent - Not relying on others for support, care, or funds;
self-supporting.
Insight - Self-understanding and awareness of one's feelings, motivations,
and problems.
Interdependence - The sharing of responsibilities and benefits that are
required for survival or well-being.
J
Jealousy - Fearful, apprehensive, resentful, or envious of being displaced,
losing affection or position.
Jungian Therapy (Analytical Psychology) - The focus of therapy is to
help individuals access more of their inner world (unconscious) and
develop greater self-realization and individuation. Carl G. Jung's theory is
psychoanalytic, but differs from traditional Freudian Theory in that Jung
added the concepts of individuation (human potential), which includes
transcendence and spirituality. Individuals are seen in a positive light and
therapy considers the "soul" which seeks to be nurtured by something
larger than the self.
K
Kinship - A group of people bound by the same blood-line (genetic
inheritance). Use of the term usually implies other characteristics shared by
the family, such as similar behaviors, values, and talents. (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
L
Life Skills - The ability to carry out activities of daily living, such as home
management and upkeep, financial planning, meal planning and
preparation, personal hygiene/appearance and personal care (e.g., sleep,
balanced eating, exercise, pleasure), finding and maintaining appropriate
educational and vocational opportunities, using social services, when
needed to obtain needed assistance, accessing appropriate transportation
and maintaining positive social interactions (e.g., knowing how to greet
people, forming and maintaining friendships).
M
Mental Health - The state of emotional well-being, freedom from conflicts,
and the ability to make and carry out decisions and cope with
environmental stressors and internal pressures.
Mental Illness - Impaired psychosocial or cognitive functioning due to
disturbances in the individual's biological, chemical, physiological, genetic,
psychological, or social processes. Mental illness is extremely variable in
duration, severity, and prognosis, depending on the type of disorder.
Milieu Therapy - A form of treatment and rehabilitation for individuals with
social and mental disorders who usually live in institutional settings.
Treatment is not restricted to individual hours with a professional therapist
but also occurs in the total environment of this closed setting, which is also
referred to as the "therapeutic community." Individuals being treated attend
group sessions for everyone in the facility, elect their own leaders, and
provide one another with social and emotional support throughout the day.
The entire environment is considered vital to the treatment process. (The
Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Mood Disorders - A group of serious mental disorders involving affective
lability (depression or persistently elevated moods). The diagnosable Mood
Disorders include Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, Cyclothymic
Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. (The Social
Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
N
Needs - All individuals have the same needs, including physical,
psychological, economic, cultural, and social requirements for survival,
well-being, and fulfillment.
O
Objects - Any part of the environment of which the individual is aware - a
material thing, a person, or an abstraction. (Dictionary of Psychology by
J.P. Chaplin, Ph.D., 1985, Laurel Books)
Object Relations Theory - A psychoanalytic concept about an individual's
relationship with others based on early parent-child interactions and
internalized self-images that are focused on these interactions. (The Social
work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW, Press.
Online Support Group - A form of computer-mediated social interaction
using the Internet to enable participants to receive and provide information
between one another, as well as advice, resources, and encouragement.
Using e-mail, chat rooms, and especially listservs, the participants have
almost immediate access to one another and can communicate
anonymously on specific issues of mutual concern or general topics of
common interest. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999,
NASW Press)
P
Paranoid Ideations - An unfound suspicion that one is under surveillance
or is being followed, talked about, or persecuted. (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Personality Disorders - Patterns of relating to and understanding others
that are so maladaptive, inflexible, and deeply ingrained that they produce
significant social impairment. Personality Disorders are usually recognizable
in one's adolescence. There are 11 major types of Personality Disorders
including (1) Antisocial Personality Disorder, (2) Avoidant Personality
Disorder, (3) Borderline Personality Disorder, (4) Histrionic, (5) Personality
Disorder, (6) Narcissistic Personality Disorder, (7) Obsessive-Compulsive,
(8) Personality Disorder, (9) Paranoid Personality Disorder, (10) Schizoid
Personality Disorder and (11) Schizotypal Personality Disorder. (The Social
Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Pleasure Principle - A principle in Freudian theory stating that the
individual begins life seeking only gratification and pleasure and the
avoidance of pain and discomfort. The developing child eventually learns
that immediate gratification sometimes has to be subordinated, so the
reality principle starts to emerge. Thereafter the person faces a lifelong
conflict between the pleasure and reality principles. The healthy ego tries to
adhere to the reality principle while allowing some room for the pleasure
principle. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW
Press)
Psychiatrist - A physician who specializes in the treatment of mental
disorders. The psychiatrist makes specific diagnoses of the mental disorder
and prescribes, supervises, or directly provides the necessary treatment,
which may include psychotherapy, psychotropic drugs, and hospitalization
with Milieu Therapy. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker,
1999, NASW Press)
Psychoanalytic Therapy - Based on the belief that true change and
growth comes from an individual becoming more self-aware by bringing
unconscious thoughts, motivation, feelings, and experiences into the
conscious so that behavior is based more on reality than instinct. Founder:
Sigmund Freud (1856)1939). Key concepts are the individual's behavior is
determined by unconscious motivation, irrational forces, instinctual drives,
and pscyhosexual events occurring during the first six years of life.
Classical psychoanalysis is an intensive and long-term process with a focus
on transference (transferring feelings about and reactions to past
significant others onto the therapist) and uncovering unconscious material.
Psychologist - A professional who studies behavior and mental processes
and may apply that knowledge to the evaluation and treatment of a mental
disorder. Psychologists have many specialties, including experimental,
educational, counseling, industrial, and clinical orientations.
Psychotic Disorders - A group of serious and frequently incapacitating
mental disorders that may be of organic or psychological origin. These
disorders are characterized by some or all of the following symptoms:
impaired thinking and reasoning ability, perceptual distortions,
inappropriate emotional responses, inappropriate affect, regressive
behavior, reduced impulse control, impaired reality testing, ideas of
reference, hallucinations, and delusions. Psychotic Disorders include Brief
Psychotic Disorder, Delusional Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder,
Schizophrenia, Schizophreniform Disorder and Shared Psychotic Disorder.
Psychotic Drugs - Drugs used by psychiatrists and other physicians to
help their patients achieve psychological or emotional changes. These
drugs include antidepressant medications (e.g., Prozac, Elavil, Norpramin,
Pertofrane, Sinequan, Aventl, Vivictil), antianxiety medications (e.g., Valium,
Librium, Tranxene, Ativan, Serax, and various barbituates), antipsychotic
medication (e.g., Thorazine, Haldol, Compazine, Selazine, Navane, Mellaril,
Serentil, Trilafon,, Prolixin),and antimanic medications (e.g., lithium
carbonate--that is, Eskalith, Lithane, or Lithonate). (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Psychosis - A severe mental disorder characterized by disorganization of
the thought processes, disturbances in emotionality, disorientation as to
time, space, and person, and, in some cases, hallucinations and delusions.
(Source: Dictionary of Psychology by J. P. Chaplin, Ph.D., 1985, Laurel
Books)
Q
Quick Relaxation Techniques - Simple self-administered methods for
achieving a state of greater calm and reduced stress. Four techniques are
(1) the countdown (sitting quietly, eyes closed, counting numbers or
imaginary objects); (2) imagery (imagining beautiful scenes or pleasurable
remembrances); (3) the turtle (the yoga-inspired practice of sitting straight,
letting the chin fall to the chest and exhaling, inhaling while moving the
head back as though trying to touch the shoulders, then pulling shoulders
up as though trying to touch the ears); and (4) scanning (while sitting
during normal daily activities, inhaling slowly while thinking about each
muscle group in the body and purposefully relaxing all the muscles that are
tense). (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW
Press)
R
Reality Therapy - A form of psychosocial and behavioral interventions,
developed by William Glasser, in which the individual is helped to develop a
success identity based on love and worth. Reality therapists focus on the
individual's behavior rather than feelings and on the present and future
rather than the past. They encourage responsible behavior and the
working out of alternative solutions to problems. They do not accept
individual's excuses, rarely ask "why," and place little emphasis on taking
case histories. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999,
NASW Press)
Relationship Enrichment - Programs to help people achieve better
communications and more meaningful relationships with one another.
Growing out of the marriage enrichment programs, the programs have
been used primarily for well-functioning couples, adult siblings, dating
couples, and work colleagues. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L.
Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
RET (Rational Emotive Therapy) - Based on the belief that our emotions
result from our beliefs, interpretations, and reactions to life events. A type
of cognitive therapy based more on thinking and doing than with the
expressions of feelings. Founder: Albert Ellis (1913-) is known as the father
of RET and the grandfather of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
S
Selfobject - The development of self - objects which we experience as part
of our self; the expected control over them is, therefore, closure to the
concept of the control which a grown-up expects to have over his own body
and mind than to the concept of the control which he expects to have over
others. Heinz Kohut (1923-1981) identified two self objects, including (1)
Mirroring Selfobject "those who respond to and confirm the children's innate
sense of vigour [physical or mental strength or energy], greatness and
perfection." (2) The idealized parent emago "those to whom the child can
look up and with whom he can merge as an image of calmness, infallibility
[incapable of failing], and omnipotence [having unlimited power or
authority]." Kohut felt there were three primary needs required for self to
thrive: the need to be "mirrored," the need to idealize, and the need to be
like others - when these needs are not met for the child, for whatever
reason, a self disorder occurs.
(http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/2967/Kohut.html)
Self-Psychology Therapy - Based on the Freudian and Jungian Therapies.
Heinz Kohut, its founder, postulated that narcissism and grandiosity in the
infant is healthily managed by self-object experiences, which can be
idealizing, mirroring, or twinning experiences. He felt that these self-object
experiences continue throughout development and life. The essence of
therapy arises from empathetic understanding within the therapeutic frame
and that healing results from temporary disruptions in this empathetic
stance in the therapists.
Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders - These disorders are identified as
Gender Identity Disorders; Paraphilias (exhibitionism, fetishism, frotteurism,
pedophilia, sexual masochism, sexual sadism, transvestic fetishism and
voyeurism); and Sexual Dysfunctions (sexual desire disorders, sexual
arousal disorders, orgasmic disorders and sexual pain disorders). For
further information see Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders.
Sleep Disorders - A group of disorders involving chronic and persistent
disturbances in sleep patterns, including abnormalities in the amount,
quality or timing of sleep, abnormal behavioral or physiological events in
association with sleep, or sleep disturbance patterns resulting from a
variety of specified conditions. Among Sleep Disorders are primary sleep
disorders (dyssomnia and parasomnia), sleep disorders resulting from
other mental disorders (insomnia and hypersomnia), and sleep disorders
related to another mental disorder or substance abuse. (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Solution-Focused Therapy - Begins from the observation that most
psychological problems are present only intermittently. Individuals with
panic disorder obviously do not spend every minute of every day in a panic;
even depression fluctuates in severity. Solution-Focused Therapy tries to
help the individual notice when symptoms are diminished or absent and use
this knowledge as a foundation for recovery. If an individual insists that the
symptoms are constant and unrelieved, the therapist works with him/her to
find exceptions and makes the exceptions more frequent, predictable, and
controllable. In other works, therapy builds on working solutions already
available to the individual.
Somotoform Disorders - Mental disorders that have the appearance of
physical illness but, lacking any known organic basis, are generally thought
to be psychogenic. The specific Somotoform Disorders include Body
Dysmorphic Disorder, Conversion Disorder, Hypochondrasis, Pain
Disorder. Somatization Disorder and Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder.
When the individual experiences only a few of these symptoms of a shorter
duration, the diagnosis is "undifferentiated somatoform disorder." (The
Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Spirituality - Devotion to the immaterial part of humanity and nature rather
than worldly things such as possessions; an orientation to an individual's
religious, moral, or emotional nature.
Substance-Related Disorders - A classification of disorders related to the
taking of a drug of abuse, alcohol, medication, or toxin resulting in
undesirable symptoms and side effects. In the Diagnostic Statistical Manual
IV classification, the substances used or induced are alcohol,
amphetamine, caffeine, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogen, inhalant, nicotine,
opium, phencyclidine, sedatives, polysubstances, and other or unknown
substances. Disorders that result from this include substance-induced
psychotic disorder, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, sexual dysfunction,
and sleep disorders. For further information see Substance-Related
Disorders. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW
Press)
T
TA Therapy (Transactional Analysis) - Interactions with others and
communication styles are seen as coming from three states: the parent,
adult, and child and the different types of ways those three parts of our
personality communicate within ourselves and with others.
Transference - A concept, originating in psychoanalytic theory, that refers
to emotional reactions that are assigned to current relationships but
originated in earlier, often unresolved and unconscious experiences. For
example, a client who as a child felt extremely hostile to a parent and never
resolved the feeling develops extremely hostile feelings toward the therapist
even though no overt reason exists for such feelings. Transference is used
by pscyhodynamically oriented therapists and other therapists as a tool for
understanding and working through past conflicts. The transfer of
affectionate feelings to the therapist is known as positive transference and
that of hostile feelings as negative transference. See also
countertransference. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker,
1999, NASW Press)
Twelve-Step Programs - The central activity of many self-help
organizations, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous
(NA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA), and Batterers Anonymous (BA), that
asks members to proceed through 12 incremental activities. Although each
organization modifies the steps slightly to suit its needs the basic activities
include (1) acknowledge powerlessness with the situation/problem; (2)
recognize the need for help from a Higher Power; (3) decide to turn one's
life over to their Higher Power; (4) make a searching self-inventory; (5)
admit to Higher Power, oneself, and one other person the exact nature of
wrongs done; (6) be ready to have High Power remove character defects;
(7) humbly ask Higher Power to remove short-comings; (8) list all people
harmed and be willing to make amends; (9) make direct amends whenever
possible; (10) continue to make a personal inventory and admit one's
wrong doings; (11) seek improvements through prayer and meditation in
contact with Higher Power; and (12) carry this message to others with the
same situation/problem.
U
Unipolar Depression - A rarely used term referring to a Mood Disorder in
which only one side of the emotional continuum is present, which is
depression.
V
Values - The customs, beliefs, standards of conduct, and principles
considered desirable by a culture, a group of people, or an individual. (The
Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
W
Willfulness - Determination, stubbornness, or purposeful intention. This
quality is seen as having good and bad characteristics depending on its
use. It exists in various degrees in leaders of social causes, activists,
rebellious adolescents, individuals experiencing obsessive-compulsive
behaviors, individuals with personality disorders, and other people said to
have "strong personalities."
X
Xenophobia - Persistent, intense, and unreasonable fear of strangers or
foreign people. (The Social Work Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999,
NASW Press)
Y
Yuppies - Slang term for young urban professionals. The expression has
given rise to similar terms such as "buppies" (black urban professionals),
"suppose" (senior citizens), "guppies" (gay men and lesbians), "luppies"
(Latinos), and "puppies" (poor urban professionals). (The Social Work
Dictionary by Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Z
Zoophobia - Pathological fear of animals. (The Social Work Dictionary by
Robert L. Barker, 1999, NASW Press)
Thank you to HopeAllianz, Inc.'s Mental Health Online
Therapy Resource Center for the compilation of the
Mental Health Dictionary:
http://www.hopeallianz.com/index.html
