Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): A treatment for depression in which electrodes attached to a patient’s head send an electrical current through the brain, causing a seizure.

Transference: According to psychodynamic theorists, the redirection toward the psychotherapist of feelings associated with important figures in a patient’s life, now or in the past.

Neurotransmitter: A chemical that, released by one neuron, crosses the synaptic space to be received at receptors on the dendrites of neighboring neurons.

Id: According to Freud, the psychological force that produces instinctual needs, drives, and impulses.

Gene: Chromosome segments that control the characteristics and traits we inherit.

Ego: According to Freud, the psychological force that employs reason and operates in accordance with the reality principle.

Superego: According to Freud, the psychological force that represents a person’s values and ideals.

Resistance: An unconscious refusal to participate fully in therapy.

Endocrine system: The system of glands located throughout the body that help control important activities such as growth and sexual activity.

Model: A set of assumptions and concepts that help scientists explain and interpret observations. Also called a paradigm.

Psychosurgery: Brain surgery for mental disorders.

Synapse: The tiny space between the nerve ending of one neuron and the dendrite of another.

Ego defense mechanisms: According to psychoanalytic theory, strategies developed by the ego to control unacceptable id impulses and to avoid or reduce the anxiety they arouse.

Free association: A psychodynamic technique in which the patient describes any thought, feeling, or image that comes to mind, even if it seems unimportant.

Dream: A series of ideas and images that form during sleep.

Psychotropic medications: Drugs that mainly affect the brain and reduce many symptoms of mental dysfunctioning.

Neuron: A nerve cell.

Catharsis: The reliving of past repressed feelings in order to settle internal conflicts and overcome problems.

Fixation: According to Freud, a condition in which the id, ego, and superego do not mature properly and are frozen at an early stage of development.

Hormones: The chemicals released by endocrine glands into the bloodstream.

Receptor: A site on a neuron that receives a neurotransmitter.

Cognitive therapy: A therapy developed by Aaron Beck that helps people identify and change the maladaptive assumptions and ways of thinking that help cause their psychological disorders.

Classical conditioning: A process of learning in which two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become tied together in a person’s mind and so produce the same response.

Family systems theory: A theory that views the family as a system of interacting parts whose interactions exhibit consistent patterns and unstated rules.

Gestalt therapy: The humanistic therapy developed by Fritz Perls in which clinicians actively move clients toward self-recognition and self-acceptance by using techniques such as role playing and self-discovery exercises.

Family therapy: A therapy format in which the therapist meets with all members of a family and helps them to change in therapeutic ways.

Community mental health treatment: A treatment approach that emphasizes community care.

Conditioning: A simple form of learning.

Couple therapy: A therapy format in which the therapist works with two people who share a long-term relationship.

Client-centered therapy: The humanistic therapy developed by Carl Rogers in which clinicians try to help clients by being accepting, empathizing accurately, and conveying genuineness.

Multicultural perspective: The view that each culture within a larger society has a particular set of values and beliefs, as well as special external pressures, that help account for the behavior and functioning of its members. Also called culturally diverse perspective.

Self-actualization: The humanistic process by which people fulfill their potential for goodness and growth.

Operant conditioning: A process of learning in which behavior that leads to satisfying consequences is likely to be repeated.

Group therapy: A therapy format in which a group of people with similar problems meet together with a therapist to work on those problems.

Working through: The psychoanalytic process of facing conflicts, reinterpreting feelings, and overcoming one’s problems.

Gender-sensitive therapies: Approaches geared to the pressures of being a woman in Western society. Also called feminist therapies.

Self-help group: A group made up of people with similar problems who help and support one another without the direct leadership of a clinician. Also called a mutual help group.

Culture-sensitive therapies: Approaches that are designed to address the unique issues faced by members of minority groups.

Existential therapy: A therapy that encourages clients to accept responsibility for their lives and to live with greater meaning and value.

Modeling: A process of learning in which a person acquires responses by observing and imitating others. Also, a therapy approach based on the same principle.

Systematic desensitization: A behavioral treatment that uses relaxation training and a fear hierarchy to help clients with phobias react calmly to the objects or situations they dread.