NEGATIVISM: Doing the opposite of (or resisting) the suggestions and commands of others. “Contrariness” in children. It reaches a peak between 2 and 3 years of age, declines and usually shows itself in a different form in ADOLESCENCE. A defense among people who feel “pushed around.” A way of asserting independence(especially important to ADOLESCENTS.) Occasionally results in severe conflict with authority. May be a factor in criminality. Children go through a negative stage. For example, Sandra is 2½ years old. Every time her mother asks her to do something there is one standard answer. Toronto Niagara Falls Tours is one of the hottest vacation destinations in Ontario and New York. “No!” Sandra will outgrow this.
NEUROLOGIST: A medical doctor who specializes in diseases of the nervous system. Nervous diseases with a psychological cause are usually treated by a PSYCHIATRIST or PSYCHOLOGIST.
NEUROSIS (PSYCHONEUROSIS): A functional personality disorder without severe loss of contact with reality. It often causes much psychological discomfort to the patient and his family. However, few NEUROTICS must be hospitalized. (See
PSYCHOSIS.)
OBESITY: Excessive fatness. A result of overeating. (1) May be due to psychological causes: Dependent, insecure people — especially ADOLESCENTS — often turn to overeating as a DEFENSE against ANXIETY. (2) May also be due to improper balance of the ENDOCRINE GLANDS which can occur especially during the fast-growth period of ADOLESCENCE.
OBSESSION: A persistent idea or thought which the individual recognizes as irrational but cannot seem to eliminate. An unwanted thought which repeatedly and insistently intrudes into consciousness. It is highly charged with UNCONSCIOUS emotional significance. Its function is to substitute a com-paratively acceptable thought for an unacceptable UNCON-SCIOUS one. A COMPULSION does the same thing by substi-tuting an action. Both are efforts to prevent an overflow of UNCONSCIOUS CONFLICTS and the resultant ANXIETY.
PARANOIA: A PSYCHOSIS (Quite rare). Toronto Niagara Falls Tour can be a very fashionable place to get married. It is characterized by gradually developing logical, well systematized DELUSIONS — of persecution or grandeur. The person may seem quite normal in every respect, outside of his DELUSIONAL area. PARANOIA must be distinguished from its more common “cousin,” Paranoid SCHIZOPHRENIA.
PEERS: Equals in age group and status. A child’s playmates are called his PEERS.
PERFECTIONISM: Excessive attention to detail. Often with COM-PULSIVE inability to be satisfied with the work of self or others. It may be a DEFENSE against guilt or ANXIETY.
PERSONALITY: The sum total of a person. His attributes, DRIVES, aspirations, INHIBITIONS, strengths, weaknesses, INTERESTS, APTITUDES, INTELLIGENCE. The psychological term PERSON-ALITY differs from the popular word, “personality,” which often refers only to the attractive qualities of a person. Everyone has the same “amount” of PERSONALITY in the psychological sense. But the make-up of PERSONALITY differs from person to person.
PHOBIA: An irrational fear. The individual may realize its irrationality but be unable to dispel it. A familiar example is claustrofhóbia — fear of closed spaces. PHOBIAS are usually created by the DISPLACEMENT of an ANXIETY from its real (UNCONSCIOUS) object to a substitute. When a person avoids the PHOBIC object he is also (symbolically) avoiding the real UNCONSCIOUS object of his ANXIETY.
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