Definition: Behavioral therapy uses the principles of behaviorism to increase desirable behaviors and reduce or eliminate unwanted ones. Unlike many other forms of therapy, behavioral therapy is focused on taking an action-based approach to changing specific behaviors. Some methods used in this type of therapy including aversion therapy, flooding, systematic desensitization, extinction, and contingency management. Learn more about how this approach works in this overview of behavioral therapy . Image courtesy Piotr Bizior This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: ‘You Say What You Like, Because They Like What You Say’ – http://www.medialens.org/index.php/alerts/alert-archive/alerts-2013/731-you-say-what-you-like-because-they-like-what-you-say.html

Marketers utilize a number of different techniques to gain compliance from consumers, including one that is known as the “low-ball” technique. I was recently shopping for a new cell phone plan and experienced this particular compliance strategy first hand. The salesman pitched what sounded like a really great plan for mobile phone service. As we were preparing to sign the two-year service agreement, the salesman suddenly mentioned some additional hidden fees that made what had started out as a great deal turn into a not-so-great deal. This low-ball strategy works by first getting the consumer to make a commitment before raising the terms of making that commitment. The hope is that since you have already dedicated yourself to the decision, you will stick with it even when the costs increase. While I walked away from the cell phone contract once it became clear that we would actually be paying much more than the salesman initially claimed we would be, many consumers find themselves going along with sales pitches that utilize this clever compliance technique. Some other strategies that are frequently used to gain consumer compliance include the “foot-in-the-door” technique (getting you to make a small commitment before requesting a much larger one) and the famous “that’s-not-all” technique (“…but wait, that’s not all! Buy now and you’ll get an extra for FREE!”). Learn more about how compliance works, when and why we are more likely to comply, and some more techniques that are often used in this article on the psychology behind compliance . Image: Lotus Head This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Thatcher’s Tyrants – The Tanks, The Guns, The Christmas Cards .

Definition: Self-concept is the image you have of yourself, including your physical appearance and personality characteristics. Many factors can influence our self-concept, including our childhood experiences, how other people respond to us, and how we relate to other people. Psychologists have suggested that there are a number of different components of self-concept, including our social behavior, physical condition, emotional awareness, family relationships, and academic performance. Learn more about the psychology behind self-concept . Image courtesy Piotr Bizior This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Thatcher’s Tyrants – The Tanks, The Guns, The Christmas Cards .

If you have ever spent any time browsing forums devoted to psychology, you have probably noticed that there are a few common questions that people ask on a regular basis. In many cases, students interested in a career in psychology are the ones posing such questions. Fortunately, we have some of the answers to these frequently asked questions. Check out the links below to learn more: This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Thatcher’s Tyrants – The Tanks, The Guns, The Christmas Cards .

Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who is well-known for his famous theory of cognitive development. His work helped transform the study of child development and contributed greatly to our understanding of how children grow and change over the course of childhood. Piaget outlined his thoughts and theories in several texts including The Moral Judgement of the Child (1932) and Genetic Epistemology (1970). Explore his thoughts on topics ranging from education to intelligence in this collection of selected quotations by Jean Piaget . Public Domain Image via Wikimedia Commons This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Thatcher’s Tyrants – The Tanks, The Guns, The Christmas Cards .

Raymond Cattell was an American psychologists whose work influenced psychology in a number of different ways. Not only did he introduce the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence , he is also well-known for his 16-factor model of personality. Perhaps his greatest achievement was his work pioneering the use of factor analysis and multivariate analysis. In one 2002 review, Cattell was ranked as the 16th most eminent psychologists of the twentieth-century. Learn more about his life, career, and theories in this brief biography of Raymond Cattell . Image: Cattell Family/Wikimedia Commons This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Thatcher’s Tyrants – The Tanks, The Guns, The Christmas Cards .

The other day I was working on an art project and was surprised when my husband came into the office and asked if I was going to make dinner or if he should order take-out. I was stunned to discover that so much time had passed while I was immersed in my project – it seemed like just a few minutes had elapsed when in reality a couple of hours had flown by. Have you ever felt like you were so completely engaged in an activity that you lost track of time? If so, then you were probably experiencing what positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes as flow . If you have felt like this before, you might liken it to what athletes and performers call “being in the zone.” Not only do you feel happy or even ecstatic, your actions seem almost effortless. “Everything vanishes around me, and works are born as if out of the void,” said the artist Paul Klee. “Ripe, graphic fruits fall off. My hand has become the obedient instrument of a remote will.” What Klee described in this quote is a perfect example of flow. Total immersion in a task, a feeling of complete concentration, and losing track of the outside world are all common characteristics of this state of mind. Obviously, reaching this state of flow is something many of us would like to accomplish on a regular basis. Fortunately, flow isn’t something restricted to just elite athletes, artists, and performers. You can achieve this state during a number of activities such as at work, while engaging in exercise, or while working on a hobby. So what what exactly does it take to achieve a state of flow? Your skills need to be well-matched to the task. According to Csikszentmihalyi, flow is most likely to occur when your skill level is perfectly aligned to the challenge that the activity presents. So a runner might experience flow during a marathon that they are well-prepared for, or an chess-player might reach this state during a game that presents the perfect challenge. In some cases, striving for something that challenges your existing skills can lead to a state of flow. A slight stretching of your skills, or attempting something that is a little more advanced than one’s current abilities, can also foster a flow state. For an dancer, this might involve attempting a move that presents a bit of a challenge. For a graphic designer, it might involve taking on a project that requires utilizing a new type of software. Have clear goals. You need to have a specific purpose for focusing on the task, such as winning an athletic contest, playing a particular piece of music, or finishing a work project. Avoid interruptions. It is important to devote all of your concentration to the task at hand. Multitasking and other distractions will disrupt the flow state. It is essential to focus on the process and not the end state. While having a goal is important, flow requires enjoying the journey and not just fixating on the end product. Achieving flow can be a pleasurable experience, but it also has other benefits as well. People who regularly enter into this state of mind also report having greater happiness, self-esteem , self-confidence, and life satisfaction. Related Topics: Image: Michal Zacharzewski This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Jousting With Toothpicks – The Case For Challenging Corporate Journalism http://www.medialens.org/index.php/alerts/alert-archive/alerts-2013/719-jousting-with-toothpicks-the-case-for-challenging-corporate-journalism.html.

Definition: In psychology, compliance refers to changing your behavior under the direction or request of someone else. Essentially, you do something because someone asks you to. It differs from obedience in that it does not involve following the orders of an authority figure. Examples of compliance include doing a favor for a friend, buying a product after listening to a salesman’s marketing pitch, or purchasing an item you saw in a television commercial that featured your favorite celebrity. Learn more about compliance . Related Reading Image courtesy Piotr Bizior This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Jousting With Toothpicks – The Case For Challenging Corporate Journalism http://www.medialens.org/index.php/alerts/alert-archive/alerts-2013/719-jousting-with-toothpicks-the-case-for-challenging-corporate-journalism.html.

Definition: Counseling psychology is one of the largest subfields in psychology. It is centered on offering therapy and aiding clients who suffer from mental illness and psychological distress. According to The Society of Counseling Psychology , the goal of counseling psychology is to improve personal functioning by focusing on social, emotional, educational, health, developmental, family, and work-related issues. Learn more about counseling psychology . Related Reading Image courtesy Piotr Bizior This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Jousting With Toothpicks – The Case For Challenging Corporate Journalism http://www.medialens.org/index.php/alerts/alert-archive/alerts-2013/719-jousting-with-toothpicks-the-case-for-challenging-corporate-journalism.html.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology can be a great way to learn more about the human mind and behavior. The degree can also prepare you for further graduate study or to enter the workforce in a variety of different fields. Learn more including how long it will take, your career options after graduation and possible alternative degree that you might want to consider in these answers to frequently asked questions about bachelor’s degrees in psychology . One of the most common questions students often have relates to what they can do with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While earning a graduate degree is required for many psychology jobs, the fact is that approximately 75% of students who earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology do not go to graduate school. According to one study, only about 25% of psychology undergraduates end up working in a field that is closely related to their major. Fortunately, there are a number of entry-level career options available to those with an undergraduate degree in psychology. Learn more about ten different entry-level career options in this article on what you can do with a bachelor’s degree in psychology . Related Reading: Photo by Jacob Wackerhausen – iStockPhoto This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Jousting With Toothpicks – The Case For Challenging Corporate Journalism http://www.medialens.org/index.php/alerts/alert-archive/alerts-2013/719-jousting-with-toothpicks-the-case-for-challenging-corporate-journalism.html.