Glossary G5
consequences of such manipulation on one
or more other variables.
Exposure The behavioral technique that
involves repeated contact with a feared or
arousing stimulus in a controlled setting.
Exposure with response prevention The
behavioral technique in which a patient is
carefully prevented from engaging in his or
her usual maladaptive response after being
exposed to a stimulus that usually elicits
the response.
External validity A characteristic of a study,
indicating that the results generalize from the
sample to the population from which it was
drawn and from the conditions used in the
study to relevant conditions outside the study.
Extinction The process of eliminating a
behavior by not reinforcing it.
° F °Factitious disorder A psychological disorder
marked by the false reporting or inducing
of medical or psychological symptoms in
order to assume a “sick” role and receive
attention.
Family therapy The form of treatment that
involves either the family as a whole or
some portion of it.
Feeding and eating disorders A set of
psychological disorders characterized by
problems with feeding or eating.
Female orgasmic disorder A sexual
dysfunction characterized by a woman’s
persistent problem in progressing from
normal sexual excitement to orgasm, such
that orgasm is delayed or does not occur,
despite a normal amount of appropriate
stimulation.
Female sexual arousal disorder A sexual
dysfunction marked by a woman’s
persistent or recurrent diffi culty attaining
or maintaining engorged genital blood
vessels in response to adequate stimulation;
formerly referred to as frigidity.
Fetishism A paraphilia in which the
individual repeatedly uses nonliving
objects to achieve or maintain sexual
arousal and such an arousal pattern causes
signifi cant distress or impairs functioning.
Fight-or-fl ight response The automatic
neurological and bodily response to a
perceived threat; also called the stress
response.
Flat affect A lack of, or considerably
diminished, emotional expression, such as
occurs when someone speaks robotically
and shows little facial expression.
Flight of ideas Thoughts that race faster
than they can be said.
Fluid intelligence A type of intelligence that
relies on the ability to create new strategies
to solve new problems, without relying
solely on information previously learned.
Free association The psychodynamic
technique in which patients report aloud
their train of thought, uncensored.
Frotteurism A paraphilia characterized
by recurrent, intense, sexually arousing
fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors that
involve touching or rubbing against a
nonconsenting person.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
A neuroimaging technique that uses MRI to
obtain images of brain functioning, which
reveal the extent to which different brain
areas are activated during particular tasks.° G °
Gateway hypothesis The proposal that use
can become abuse when “entry” drugs
serve as a gateway to (or the fi rst stage in a
progression to) use of “harder” drugs.
Gender identity The subjective sense of
being male or female, as these categories
are defi ned by the person’s culture.
Gender identity disorder A psychological
disorder characterized by a cross-gender
identifi cation that leads the individual to
be chronically uncomfortable with his or
her biological sex.
Gender role The outward behaviors,
attitudes, and traits that a culture deems
masculine or feminine.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) The
anxiety disorder characterized by
uncontrollable worry and anxiety about a
number of events or activities that are not
solely the focus of another Axis I disorder.
Genes Segments of DNA that control the
production of particular proteins and other
substances.
Genotype The sum of an organism’s genes.
Group therapy The form of treatment in
which several patients with similar needs
meet together with one or two therapists.° H °
Habituation The process by which the
emotional response to a stimulus that elicits
fear, or anxiety is reduced by exposing the
patient to the stimulus repeatedly.
Hallucinations Sensations that are so vivid
that the perceived objects or events seem
real, although they are not.Heritability An estimate of how much of
the variation in a characteristic within a
population (in a specifi c environment) can
be attributed to genetics.
High expressed emotion A family
interaction style characterized by hostility,
unnecessary criticism, or emotional
overinvolvement.
Histrionic personality disorder A personality
disorder characterized by attention-seeking
behaviors and exaggerated and dramatic
displays of emotion.
Hormones Neurotransmitter substances
that are released directly into the
bloodstream and often function primarily
as neuromodulators.
Huntington’s disease A progressive disease
that kills neurons and affects cognition,
emotion, and motor functions; it leads to
dementia and eventually results in death.
Hypersomnia Sleeping more hours each day
than normal.
Hypervigilance A heightened search for
threats.
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder A sexual
dysfunction characterized by a persistent
or recurrent lack of sexual fantasies or an
absence of desire for sexual activity.
Hypochondriasis A somatoform disorder
marked by preoccupation with a fear or
belief of having a serious disease, but this
preoccupation arises because the individual
has misinterpreted his or her bodily
sensations or symptoms.
Hypothesis A preliminary idea that is
proposed to answer a question about a set
of observations.
Hysteria An emotional condition marked by
extreme excitability and bodily symptoms
for which there is no medical explanation;
hysteria is not a DSM-IV-TR disorder.° I °
Id According to Freud, the seat of sexual
and aggressive drives, as well as the desire
for immediate gratifi cation of physical and
psychological needs.
Identity problem A dissociative symptom in
which an individual is not sure who he or
she is or may assume a new identity.
Inappropriate affect An expression of emotion
that is not appropriate to what a person is
saying or not appropriate to the situation.
Inclusion The placement of students with
disabilities in a regular classroom, with
guidelines for any accommodations that