Article • Oct 14, 2024
Glossary of Terms
At Momentous Institute, we understand that mental health language can sometimes feel complex. That’s why we’ve created a glossary of terms to help clarify the words and phrases often used when talking about mental health. Explore our definitions below to gain a better understanding of these terms and find related resources and activities.
A
A study conducted in the mid-1990s by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente found a link between negative childhood experiences and later health diagnoses in adulthood. Adverse childhood experiences include such things as parental divorce or incarceration, caregiver substance abuse, and physical or sexual violence.
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An emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure. (APA)
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A deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space. (APA)
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The process by which individuals form emotional connections and understand each other’s emotional states. (APA)
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The ability to pay attention to personal strengths and limitations and to understand how thoughts and experiences shape self-perception and responses to everyday situations.
B
The cognitive organization of a person’s appearance, including their internal image, thoughts and feelings (APA)
The organ located in the head that controls thoughts, memory, emotions, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, and every process that regulates the body. (APA)
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The act of breathing in a purposeful way as a tool for managing impulses, focus attention and control negative emotions (summarized from APA from a document called “Breathing Retraining).
C
The ability to solve problems that contribute to the well-being of others and the community.
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The feeling of concern for the suffering or misfortune of others. (APA)
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D
A mood disorder that involves extreme sadness or despair and lasts longer than a few days. (APA)
E
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. (APA)
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F
- a self-contained phenomenal experience. Feelings are subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations, thoughts, or images evoking them. They are inevitably evaluated as pleasant or unpleasant, but they can have more specific intrapsychic qualities, so that, for example, the affective tone of fear is experienced as different from that of anger. The core characteristic that differentiates feelings from cognitive, sensory, or perceptual intrapsychic experiences is the link of affect to appraisal. Feelings differ from emotions in being purely mental, whereas emotions are designed to engage with the world.
- any experienced sensation, particularly a tactile or temperature sensation (e.g., pain, coldness).
(APA)
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A pattern of physiological changes elicited by activity of the sympathetic nervous system in response to threatening or otherwise stressful situations that leads to mobilization of energy for physical activity (e.g., attacking or avoiding the offending stimulus), either directly or by inhibiting physiological activity that does not contribute to energy mobilization. Specific sympathetic responses involved in the response include increased heart rate, respiratory rate, and sweat gland activity; elevated blood pressure; decreased digestive activity; pupil dilation; and a routing of blood flow to skeletal muscles. In some theories, such changes are the basis of all human emotions.(APA)
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G
The quality of being thankful and the readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. (APA)
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The passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals. (APA)
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H
The belief that the future will be better than the present and one has the power to make it so. (APA)
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I
The ability to delay gratification and resist unwanted behaviors or urges. (APA)
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K
The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. (APA)
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M
A state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to contribute to their community. (WHO)
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The practice of being aware and present in the moment, and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations without judgment. (APA)
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N
The network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body. (APA)
The study of the nervous system and how it affects behavior, thought, and emotion. (APA)
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R
The ability to adapt well to adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. (APA)
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S
Relationships where all parties feel seen, heard, and valued. (NAMI)
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The ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations. (APA)
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The ability to understand and manage one’s emotions, reactions, and relationships. (NAMI)
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The process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. (CASEL)
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Therapeutic interventions that focus on bodily sensations and experiences. (APA)
A physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. (APA)
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T
An emotional response to an event that is perceived as harmful or threatening, and that has lasting negative effects on a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being. (APA)
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U
The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
V
The tenth cranial nerve that controls the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. (APA)
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