HUMAN BEHAVIOR

PSYCHE

The mind and soul, including the totality of ones conscious and unconscious
mental processes. See also ego and spirituality.

PSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT

The social workers summary judgment as to the problem to be solved; also

referred to as the psychosocial diagnosis. This description may include
diagnostic labels, results derived from psychological tests and legal status,
brief descriptive expressions of the problem configuration, a description of
existing assets and resources, the prognosis or prediction of the outcome,
and the plan designed to resolve the problem. Throughout the intervention
process, the psycho-social assessment is a work in progress in that it is
revised continually as new information is acquired, as circumstances and
goals change, and as progress toward goals is made.

ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

An orientation in social work and other professions that emphasizes

understanding people and their environment and the nature of their
transacations. Important concepts include adaptation, transactions, goodness
of fit between people and their environments, reciprocity, and mutuality. In
professional interventions, the unit of attention is considered to be the
interface between the individual (or group, family, or community) and the
relevant environment. See also life model.
INFANT MENTAL HEALTH

A multidisciplinary specialty to understand and improve the factors that

influence the psychological well-being of infants. Social work is joined by
pediatrics, nursing, special education, psychiatry, and developmental
psychology to develop methods of preventing future mental illness and to
assess and treat those psychological problems that are found in infants. The
focus is usually on at-risk infants, especially those who are potentially at risk
of neglect, abuse, or deprivation, or whose parents have substance abuse or
physical or mental illness.

CHILDHOOD

The early stage in the human life cycle characterized by rapid physical
growth and efforts to model adult roles and responsibilities, mostly through
play and formal education. Many developmental psychologists say this
stage occurs after infancy and lasts until puberty (that is, from about 18 to 24
months to 12 to 14 years) or until adulthood (18 to 21 years). This stage is
sometimes divided into early childhood (from the end of infancy to about
age six) and middle or late childhood (from age six to, or through,
adolescence)

ADOLESCENCE

The life cycle period between childhood and adulthood, beginning at puberty
and ending with young adulthood. Adolescents struggle to find self-identity,
and this struggle is often accompanied by erratic behavior.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

The process by which individuals acquire the intellectual capacity to

perceive, evaluate, and understand information. Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
formulated one of the most complete cognitive development theories to date.
He divided human development into four typical stages: (1) the sensorimotor
stage (birth to age two); (2) the preoperational stage (ages two to seven); (3)
the concrete operations stage (ages seven to 11); and (4) the formal
operations stage (age 11 to adulthood). See also Piagetian theory.

COMMUNITY

A group of individuals or families that share certain values, services,

institutions, interests, or geographic proximity.

PERSONALITY

An individuals entire intellectual and emotional structure, including

abilities, attitudes, interests, and enduring patterns of understanding and
relating to the environment.

MIND

The part of a person in which intellectual functions occur, including

cognitive processing, information accumulation, memories, unconscious
material, reasoning, emotional reactions, sensory input, and the personality.

PSYCHODYNAMIC

Pertaining to the cognitive, emotional, and volitional mental processes that

consciously and unconsciously motivate ones behavior. These processes
are the product of the interplay among ones genetic and biological heritage,
the sociocultural milieu, past and current realities, perceptual abilities and
distortions, and ones unique experiences and memories.

ECOSYSTEM

A concept in the biological science of ecology pertaining to the physical and

biological environment and the interaction between every component
thereof.

BEHAVIORISM

The school of psychology and related sciences established by Ivan Pavlov

(1849-1936), J.B. Watson (1878-1958), B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), and
others to explain behavior in terms of events (antecedent stimuli) that occur
before a behavior and consequences (reinforcing and punishing ones) that
occur following behavior. Behaviorism contends that many maladaptive
behaviors are, at least in part, acquired through learning processes and can
potentially be unlearned. Behaviorism has led to the development of social
learning theory and of behavior analysis and therapy as models of practice.

PARADIGM

A model or pattern containing a set of legitimated assumptions and a design

for collecting and interpreting data. For example, the psychosocial paradigm
begins with an assumption that behavior is determined largely through
learning the experiences of interpersonal relationships.
PARANOID DISORDERS

A general class of mental disorder characterized by inappropriate

suspiciousness. Diagnosticians tend to use more specific terms to describe
patients with paranoid ideation, such as paranoid personality disorder,
paranoid schizophrenia, and paranoia.

PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE

The behavior of an individual who uses covert actions to fight another

person or organization. The individual may feel angry but powerless in
direct confrontations and so becomes obstructionistic, obstinate, and
inefficient and tends to pout and procrastinate. Because the anger is often
unconscious, the reaction is also usually unconscious. When this behavior is
deeply ingrained and persists through many situations and life phases, it may
indicate the presence of a personality disorder.

PATHOLOGY

The study of the nature of physical or mental diseases, including causes,

symptoms, effects on the subject, and the circumstances in which the disease
occurs. The term is also used more broadly in referring to physical or
behavioral deviations from the norm that can or do result in disease or
dysfunction. See also psychopathology.

PATIENTS

Those who are receiving care and treatment from physicians and health care
personnel. Social workers generally use the term client when referring to
the individuals they are serving. However, the term patient is more
commonly used by social workers who are employed in health care settings
(for example, hospital and medical social workers).

PEER

An equal, as in age group, educational level, ethnic group, or other classes of

people.

PERSONALTY CHANGE

A significant deviation from ones previously characteristic pattern of

behavior, thinking, and communicating, usually symptomatic of an
underlying mental or physical problem. Among the more common changes
are increased emotional lability, disinhibition, aggressive or apathetic
behaviors, and paranoid behaviors. When using this term as a formal
diagnosis, the clinician indicates the predominating behavioral change and
the general medical condition thought to underlie the change.

PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Pattern 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 ones
adolescence. There are 11 major types of personality disorder: (1) paranoid
personality disorder, (2) schizoid personality disorder, (3) schizotypal
personality disorder,(4) histrionic personality disorder, (5) narcissistic
personality disorder, (6) antisocial personality disorder, (7) borderline
personality disorder, (8) avoidant personality disorder, (9) dependent
personality disorder, (10) obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and
(11) the atypical personality disorder.
PHOBIA

An intense and persistent fear or an object or situation. Psychosocial

theorists think this is caused by displacement of a conflict onto an external
object, where it will be presumably more tolerable and avoidable.
Behavioral theorists think it is a consequence of a chain of associations of
various negative stimuli. Phobias are the main symptom of a phobic
disorder. There are an infinite number of identifiable phobias because every
potential experience and stimulus could result in a fear. Some examples are
acrophobia, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, nyctaphobia, xenophobia, and
zoophobia. Other phobias include the following: achluphobia (irrational
fear of the dark); acousticophobia (sounds); aerophobia (drafts of fresh air,
airborne diseases, or flying in airplanes); agyiophobia (crossing streets);
aichmophobia (pointed objects); ailurophobia (cats); algophobia (pain);
amathophobia (dust); androphobia (men); anthophobia (flowers); apiphobia
(bees or being stung); arachnophobia (spiders); astraphobia (lightning and
thunderstorms); autophobia (being alone); bathophobia (deep water or other
deep places); bibliophobia (books or places of study); coitophobia (sexual
intercourse); coprophobia (feces); cynophobia (dogs or dog bites);
demophobia (crowds); gamophobia (marriage); genophobia (sex);
gynephobia (women); haptephobia (being touched); homophobia or
erythrophobia (blood); homophobia (homosexuals); hydrophobia (water);
hypnophobia (sleep); kleptophobia (being robbed); necrophobia (dead
bodies); neophobia (new situations ,places or un familiar things );
nosophobia (disease); ochlophobia (crowds); ophidophobia (snakes);
osmophobia (odors); panophobia (everything); pathophobia (disease);
phengophobia (daylight); pyrophobia (fire); and thanatophobia (death).
PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORK

Social work in a mental health setting. The psychiatric social worker

provides psychosocial therapy and other social services for those with
mental disorders and, in collaboration with the psychiatrist and other
members of the mental health team, works with the patients family
members. The worker usually has an MSW or higher degree and additional
experience in working with psychiatric problems. The psychiatric social
work designation has largely been replaced by the term clinical social
work. See also American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers
(AAPSW).

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.
Qualifications to be a psychiatrist include four years of medical school and
four or more years of approved residency training, usually in mental
hospitals or hospital psychiatric wards.

PSYCHOANALYSIS

A method for diagnosing and treating mental illness and achieving better
self-awareness using the principles of psychoanalytic theory originated by
Austrian physician Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).
PSYCHOPATH

An imprecise lay term for one who has a serious mental disorder. The work
is derived from the word psychopathology, the study of psychological
pathology or disease, and was once used by mental health professionals to
refer to a person with a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder.

PSYCHOSIS

A serious and frequently incapacitating mental disorder 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, hallucination, and delusion. See also schizophrenia and
organic mental disorders.

ECOLOGY

The study of relationships between environment and organisms.

EGO

The self; the part of the mind that mediates between the demands of the
body and the realities of the environment, consisting of cognition,
perception, defense mechanism, memory, and motor control. In
psychodynamic theory, one of the three major spheres of the psyche, along
with the id and the superego. The healthy ego finds ways to compromise
among these competing pressures and enables the person to cope with the
demands of the environment.
EMPATHY

The act of perceiving, understanding experiencing, and responding to the

emotional state and ideas of another person.

ENABLER

1. An individual who makes something possible 2. In social work, the

orientation of the social worker toward enhancing the ability of the client to
solve problems and achieve goals by providing information and access to
resources, strengthening coping skills, and changing socio-environmental
conditions that impede progress. 3. The term is used increasingly to
indicate the actions of one who facilitates the dysfunctional behavior of
another. An example is a spouse who keeps alcohol around while the partner
is trying to deal with alcohol addiction.

ETHICS

A system of moral principles and perceptions about right versus wrong and
the resulting philosophy of conduct that is practiced by an individual, group,
profession, or culture. See also code of ethics.

INTRAPSYCHIC

Occurring within ones personality or psyche.

CHARACTER

The most deeply ingrained aspects of personality and the resulting habitual
modes of response.
MEMORY

The mental function of recalling or reproducing what has been experienced

or learned.

MENOPAUSE

The biological process that occurs in middle-age women as menstruation

ceases. In some women, the hormonal changes result temporarily in certain
accompanying physiological and psychological symptoms.

MENTAL HEALTH

The relative state of emotional well-being, freedom from incapacitating

conflicts, and the consistent ability to make and carry out rational decisions
and cope with environmental stresses and internal pressures.

DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH

In direct practice, an orientation toward or focus on the predictable changes

that occur throughout the human life cycle, including physical, mental,
social, and environmental changes.

ADULT

An individual who has reached the legal age of maturity; in most nations and
states this age is 18.

ANAL PHASE

The second stage of personality development in psychosexual development

theory, which occurs between the ages of two and three. During this stage,
the child becomes oriented to the functions of the anus and learns to have
more control over the environment by giving or withholding feces.

ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR

A pattern of actions that results in an individuals isolation from other people

or frequent conflict with others and social institutions.