psychological theory
Mind behavior explanation
A psychological theory is a systematic framework explaining aspects of human thought, emotion, or behavior.
Theories organize observations into testable principles: Attachment theory helps explain why some adults struggle with intimacy.
Major psychological theories include psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and cognitive development theory.
Unlike casual speculation, a psychological theory generates predictions that can be confirmed or refuted through research.
- couchUpholstered seating furniture
- unconscious mindMental processes beneath awareness
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
- Pavlov's dogClassically conditioned subject
- memoryMind's retention capacity
false memory · psychosexual stages · attachment · reinforcement · self-actualization · group dynamics · personal growth · perception · defense mechanisms · inner child · ego death · punishment · learned helplessness · social norms · moral development · stages of grief · attention · conformity
psychological theoryfolk wisdom
Traditional communal knowledge
intuition · common sense · folk psychology · gut feeling · old wives' tale
psychological theoryempirical data
Facts from direct experience
case study · practical application · raw data · clinical observation · clinical practice
psychological, psychologically, psychology, psychologist, psychologists, psyche, psychic, psychical, psycho