Catatonic type

A subtype of schizophrenia characterised by unnatural movement patterns such as rigid, unmoving posture or continual, purposeless movements, or by unnatural speech patterns such as absence of speech or parroting of other people’s speech

Catharsis

Purging of emotional tensions

Cerebrum

Anterior part of the brain consisting of two hemispheres

Child psychology

The branch of psychology that studies the social and mental development of children

Cingulotomy

A surgical procedure that involves destruction of part of the frontal lobes. It is sometimes done to treat severe disorders that do not respond to other treatments

Client-centred therapy

A humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, that aims to help clients increase self-acceptance and personal growth by providing a supportive emotional environment

Cognition

The psychological result of perception and reasoning

Cognitive dissonance

An unpleasant state of tension that arises when an individual has related cognitions that conflict with one another

Cognitive psychology

An approach to psychology that emphasises internal mental processes

Cognitive schema

A mental model of some aspect of the world

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviours that help to prevent or relieve anxiety

Computerised tomography (CT)

A method for studying the brain that involves taking x-rays of the brain from different angles

Confabulation

A phenomenon in which a person thinks he or she remembers something that did not really happen

Congruence

According to Carl Rogers, the accurate match between self-concept and reality

Contact hypothesis

A hypothesis stating that prejudice declines when people in an ingroup become more familiar with the customs, norms, food, music, and attitudes of people in an outgroup

Convergent thinking

A style of thinking in which a person narrows down a list of possibilities to arrive at a single right answer

Conversion disorder

A disorder characterised by medically unexplained symptoms that affect voluntary motor functioning or sensory functioning

Couples therapy

A type of therapy in which a therapist helps couples identify and resolve conflicts

Culture-bound disorders

Psychological disorders that are limited to specific cultural contexts