Therapy and Psychoanalytic Theories - Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, theories, methods, and terms from the lecture notes on therapy, diagnostics, research methods, and psychoanalytic theories.

Therapy

A variety of psychological interventions designed to help people resolve emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems and improve quality of life.

Psychotherapy vs Counseling

Psychotherapy and counseling involve interactions between a therapist and patient aimed at alleviating problems related to thinking, emotion, or behavior.

Theoretical Orientation

A framework that explains why people experience stress and guides the approach and type of therapy used.

Hippocrates

Father of modern medicine who proposed addressing illness by natural means and suggested psychological illness could have organic roots.

Dynamic (in psychology)

A term meaning ongoing change or activity, often used to describe how unconscious processes influence behavior.

Leibniz (subliminal perception)

Philosopher/scientist who emphasized perception outside conscious awareness and the influence of subliminal information.

Mesmer and patient-therapist rapport

Early concept emphasizing the therapeutic relationship and the dynamic between therapist and patient.

Placebo Effect

A beneficial brain/psychological response to a treatment based on the patient’s belief or confidence in the treatment.

Spontaneous Remission

Natural fluctuation where symptoms improve and worsen over time, not necessarily due to therapy.

Empiricism

The idea that knowledge comes from experience and observation, leading to empirical data.

Fechner (Psychophysics)

Researcher who contributed to the study of the relationship between physical stimuli and sensory perception.

Helmholtz (Visual Perception)

Physiologist who advanced understanding of how we perceive visual information.

Kraepelin

Pioneer in psychiatric classification and the translation of lab findings to clinical diagnoses.

World as Will and Representation (Schopenhauer)

Philosophical idea that we know and are driven by internal forces not always within conscious awareness.

Clinical Scientist

Professionals who create new knowledge through research and questions that advance the field.

Practitioner-Scholar

Clinicians who blend practice and research, bringing science into practice and practice into science.

Neuroplasticity

The brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to experience, learning, or therapy.

Epigenetics

How environmental factors influence gene expression without changing the DNA sequence.

Alexithymia

Difficulty labeling or identifying one’s own emotions.

DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

Standard manual for classifying mental disorders; editions have evolved (DSM‑5, etc.).

Abuse vs Dependence (DSM history)

DSM-4 differentiated abuse and dependence; DSM-5 merged them into a substance use disorder with varying features.

Bias and Stigma in Diagnosis

The risk that science can reflect biases, leading to mislabeling or oppressing individuals (e.g., historical biases about homosexuality).

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

Integrating the best available research evidence with clinical expertise and patient preferences.

Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

An experiment where participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups to establish causality.

Concealed Allocation

A method in RCTs to prevent bias by hiding which treatment a participant will receive.

Inclusion Criteria

Characteristics that determine whether a person can participate in a study.

Stage 0: Basic Science

Initial stage focused on fundamental science (neuroscience, animal studies) to understand mechanisms.

Stage 1: Creation & Preliminary Testing

Developing materials with stakeholder input and conducting pilot randomized trials to assess feasibility and acceptability.

Stage 2: Pure Efficacy

Testing whether an intervention works under highly controlled laboratory conditions.

Stage 3: Real-World Efficacy

Testing in real-world clinical settings while maintaining some experimental control.

Stage 4: Effectiveness

Assessing generalizability to routine practice with less control and more representative populations.

Stage 5: Implementation & Dissemination

Scaling up an effective intervention so it can be widely delivered.

Internal Validity

The degree to which observed effects are attributable to the intervention, not other factors.

External Validity

The extent to which study results generalize to real-world settings and populations.

Cohort Study

Prospective study following two or more groups over time to compare outcomes.

Case-Control Study

Retrospective study comparing those with an outcome to those without, to identify factors associated with the outcome.

Cross-Sectional Study

Study at a single point in time to assess prevalence or associations between variables.

Rate

Frequency of an event in a population over a defined period.

Proportion

Frequency of an event without a defined time period.

Ratio

Relative comparison of the size of two groups.

Absolute Risk

Probability of an outcome occurring in a group.

Relative Risk

Ratio of the probability of an outcome in the treatment group to the probability in the control group.

Odds Ratio

Ratio describing the odds of an outcome given exposure to a factor.

Transference

Patient transfers feelings about others onto the therapist, shaping the therapeutic relationship.

Countertransference

Therapist’s emotional reaction to the patient’s transference.

Enactment

Therapy-relevant patterns and interactions that arise in session and mirror real-life relationships.

Therapeutic Alliance

Collaborative, trusting relationship between therapist and client essential for progress.

Resistance

Reluctance or ambivalence toward change that can surface as avoidance or late attendance.

Empathy

Therapist’s attempt to understand and share the client’s subjective experience.

Empathic Conjecture

Therapist’s educated guess about what the client feels to guide exploration.

Case Formulation/Conceptualization

Hypothesis about the causes and maintaining factors of a client’s problem, grounded in theory.

Depth vs Clarification in Interpretation

Depth asks how far back in time a pattern goes; clarification makes explicit the present patterns and meanings.

Opening in Therapy

Initial steps where patient reveals information and therapist guides toward patterns.

Termination

End of therapy; determination of when and why treatment ends, often planned from the start.

Mechanisms of Change

Processes by which therapy produces its effects (e.g., emotional insight, historical reconstruction).

Containment

Therapist’s ability to hold and reflect on their own and the client’s emotions within sessions.

Rupture & Repair

Inevitable disagreements in therapy and the process of repairing the therapeutic relationship.

Appropriate Candidates

Clients who are motivated, open to self-scrutiny, and not in immediate crisis for certain psychodynamic treatments.

Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy

Psychoanalytic approach with relatively few sessions (often under 40) focusing on current and historical patterns.

Long-Term Psychoanalytic Therapy

In-depth psychoanalytic treatment with extended duration and exploration of unconscious processes.

Cultural Considerations in Psychotherapy

Awareness of therapist biases, societal attitudes, and use of diverse techniques to fit cultures.