a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p r s t u v w z
gay: A colloquial term for homosexual, now often adopted by homosexuals
who have openly announced their sexual orientation.
gay liberation: The often militant movement seeking to achieve
civil rights for homosexuals and recognition of the normality of homosexuality.
gender identity: The deeply ingrained sense a person has of being
either a man or a woman.
gender identity disorder: Disorder in which there is a deeply
felt incongruence between anatomic sex and the sensed gender; transsexualism
and gender identity disorder of childhood are examples.
gene: An ultramicroscopic area of the chromosome; the gene is
the smallest physical unit of the DNA molecule that carries a piece of
hereditary information.
general adaptation syndrome (GAS): Hans Selye’s model to describe
the biological reaction of an organism to sustained and unrelenting stress;
there are several stages, culminating in death in extreme circumstances.
general paresis: See neurosyphilis.
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): In this anxiety disorder,
anxiety is so chronic, persistent, and pervasive that it seems free-floating.
The individual is jittery and strained, distractible, and worried that
something bad is about to happen. A pounding heart, fast pulse and breathing,
sweating, flushing, muscle aches, a lump in the throat, and an upset gastrointestinal
tract are some of the bodily indications of this extreme anxiety.
genital stage: In psychoanalytic theory, the final psychosexual
stage, reached in adulthood, in which heterosexual interests predominate.
genotype: An individual’s unobservable, genetic constitution; the
totality of genes possessed by an individual. Compare phenotype.
genuineness: In client-centred therapy, an essential quality of
the therapist, referring to openness and authenticity.
germ theory (of disease): The general view in medicine that disease
is caused by infection of the body by minute organisms and viruses.
gerontology: The interdisciplinary study of aging and of the special
problems of the elderly.
Gestalt therapy: A humanistic therapy developed by Fritz Perls,
which encourages clients to satisfy emerging needs so that their innate
goodness can be expressed, to increase their awareness of unacknowledged
feelings, and to reclaim parts of their personality that have been denied
or disowned.
gestation period: The length of time, normally nine months in
human beings, during which a fertilized egg develops into an infant ready
to be born.
glans: The heavily innervated tip of the penis.
glove anaesthesia: A lack of sensation in the part of the arm
that would be covered by a glove. One of the conversion disorders.
goodness of fit hypothesis: The notion that the effectiveness
of a coping response depends on whether it is appropriate for a particular
problem; that is, different situations call for different coping responses.
grandiose delusions: Found in paranoid schizophrenia, delusional disorder, and mania, an exaggerated sense of one’s importance, power, knowledge, or identity.
Graves’ disease: An endocrine disorder resulting from oversecretion
of the hormone thyroxin, in which metabolic processes are speeded up,
producing apprehension, restlessness, and irritability.
gray matter: The neural tissue made up largely of nerve cell bodies
that constitutes the cortex covering the cerebral hemisphere, the nuclei
in lower brain areas, columns of the spinal cord, and the ganglia of the
autonomic nervous system.
grimace: A distorted facial expression, often a symptom of schizophrenia.
group therapy: Method of treating psychological disorders whereby
several persons are seen simultaneously by a single therapist.
guided self-change: An approach to treating addiction and other
types of disorders that emphasizes personal responsibility and problem-solving
techniques that foster a sense of self-reliance.
gyrus: A ridge or convolution of the cerebral cortex.
