Descriptionary

gustatory hallucination a hallucination involving taste.

habituation getting so accustomed to a stimulus that one may stop noticing it, as one who lives next door to a dog who barks all day.

hallucination a false perception; seeing, hearing, feeling, or smelling something that isn't there.

hallucinogen any substance or drug known to cause hallucinations.

hallucinosis symptoms of disordered perception— including auditory, visual, and tactile hallucinations— occurring in people withdrawing from severe alcohol abuse.

halo effect the overbroad perception of someone who exhibits a positive trait as being good in other ways as well.

Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression a mea­sure of the severity of one's depression, based on a multiple-choice questionnaire.

Hawthorne effect the tendency for people to act differently when they are being observed, which can potentially skew research results.

hebephrenia a rare form of schizophrenia charac­terized by regressive behavior and a constant silly grin.

hedonism the theory that humans seek pleasure and avoid pain and that happiness represents the greatest good.

histrionic personality a personality characterized by dramatic attention seeking, excitability, egocentric- ity, and overdependency.

hyperactivity a childhood disorder characterized by excessive activity and a failure to inhibit motion or complete tasks.

hypergamy the selection of a mate or spouse with higher status than oneself, as younger women pursu­ing older, wealthier, more powerful males, an evolu­tionary survival strategy.

hypermnesia the strikingly vivid and disturbing recall of a traumatic event, causing anxiety, depres­sion, and intrusive memories and thoughts, the oppo­site of amnesia.

hyperphagia pathological overeating.

hypersomnia excessive sleepiness.

hyperventilation a common reaction to anxiety, rapid breathing that reduces carbon dioxide in the blood, causing light-headedness, incoordination, pal­pitations, and a sensation of needing more air—gen­erally resolved by breathing into a paper bag.

hypervigilance a state of heightened arousal and anxiety in which the sufferer sharply monitors his environment for signs of danger and often has an intense startle response, a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder.

hypnagogic designating the mental state that occurs just before falling into sleep, known to cause halluci­nations, which are considered normal.

hypnopompic designating the mental state that immediately follows the first stage of waking and which can sometimes produce hallucinations.

hypnotherapy therapy conducted with the patient under hypnosis.

hypnotic trance a dreamlike state of increased sug­gestibility.

hypoactive sexual desire disorder the lack of desire or sexual fantasies, with no evidence of a physical cause such as low testosterone, thought to be due to sexual trauma in childhood.

hypochondriasis an excessive anxiety over aches and pains and overall physical health.

hypomania a mild form of mania in which a person sleeps less, is unusually cheerful and active, and has grandiose or racing thoughts. It can mimic ordinary happiness but in fact may cause overconfidence and impaired judgment.

hysteria a neurotic state characterized by episodes of hallucinations, amnesia, and other mental aberra­tions.

id in psychoanalytic theory, the component of per­sonality concerned with such instinctual urges as hun­ger, thirst, sex, and aggression.

idealization projecting overly positive attributes onto oneself or others.

implosive therapy a therapy technique in which a patient is harmlessly frightened as much as possible until anxiety is alleviated.

imprinting the learning of behavior patterns during sensitive periods of growth early in life.

impulsiveness the tendency to act without think­ing.

inadequate personality a personality that is inept socially, emotionally, and intellectually.

inappropriate affect behavior, tone of voice, or facial expressions that are opposite of what would normally be expected in a particular context, as when someone laughs after someone dies or appears gloomy after a happy event.

incoherent not making sense; beyond understanding.

insight therapy a therapy technique that attempts to reveal a patient's hidden motives behind a specific behavior.

insomnia sleeplessness; trouble falling or staying asleep.

instinct an inborn, motivational drive, such as the sex drive or the drive to run from danger.

intellectualization overblown or abstract analysis used to rationalize disturbing feelings or troubles.