Psychological Concepts

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Psychology Explained

An interpretation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, represented as a pyramid with the more basic needs at the bottom   Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans’ innate curiosity.

Self-Actualization: Definition & How to Achieve It

Self-actualization is a term that has been used in various psychology theories, often in slightly different ways. The term was originally introduced by the organismic theorist Kurt Goldstein for the motive to realize one’s full potential. In his view, it is the organism’s master motive, the only real motive: “the tendency to actualize itself as

Motivating Operations (MOs) in ABA: Operant Conditioning

Motivating operations or establishing operations, are a concept in behaviorism involving the effectiveness of consequences in operant conditioning. They explain why a person wants or does not want something and why they act or do not act in a particular moment.   History It was introduced by Jack Michael around 1980. Different terminology was introduced

Locus of Control: Internal vs External Explained

Locus of control in social psychology refers to the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events that affect them. Understanding of the concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954, and has since become an important aspect of personality studies. Individuals with a high internal locus of control believe that events

Flow State: Achieve Deep Focus & Motivation

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the positive psychology concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields. According to Csíkszentmihályi, flow is

Language Development in Children: Milestones & Stages

Language development is a process starting early in human life, when a person begins to acquire language by learning it as it is spoken and by mimicry. Children’s language development moves from simple to complex. Infants start without language. Yet by four months of age, babies can read lips and discriminate speech sounds. The language

Linguistics: Language Study, Grammar, and Meaning

Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context. The first is the study of language structure, or grammar. This focuses on the system of rules followed by the speakers (or hearers) of a language. It

Language Acquisition: Stages, Process & Expert Tips

Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate. This capacity involves the picking up of diverse capacities including syntax, phonetics, and an extensive vocabulary. This language might be vocal as with speech or manual as in sign. Language acquisition usually refers to

PTSD: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): An Encyclopedia Entry Defining Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe and debilitating

Anxiety: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

The Psychology of Anxiety: Definition, Mechanisms, and Impact The Core Definition and Fundamental Mechanism Anxiety is fundamentally understood as a

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