Liminal space: Definition, examples, and psychology

beach

A liminal space is a space between spaces. A liminal space is a boundary between two points in time, space, or both. It’s the middle ground between two grounds, the mid-structure between two structures. When you’re in a liminal space, you’re neither here nor there, neither this nor that. At the same time, you’re both …

Read more

Types of memory in psychology (Explained)

autobiographical memory

Memory in psychology is defined as the persistence of learning. You can learn, recognize, and recall information. This shows your mind has an in-built storage system for information. In this article, I’ll briefly discuss the types of memory in psychology. Then, I’ll explain them in detail in the next sections. Types of memory in psychology …

Read more

A simple explanation of classical and operant conditioning

Ivan Pavlov picture

Many people, including psychology students, teachers, and professionals, find the concepts of classical and operant conditioning confusing. So I decided to provide a simple explanation of classical and operant conditioning processes. It can’t get any simpler than what you’re about to read. Classical and operant conditioning are two basic psychological processes that explain how humans …

Read more

Cognitive Behavioral Theory (Explained)

cognition

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.” – Epictetus The above quote captures the essence of Cognitive Behavioural Theory (CBT). Cognition refers to thinking. Cognitive Behavioural Theory talks about how cognition shapes behavior and vice versa. There’s a third component to the theory- feelings. CBT explains how …

Read more

5 Reasons for fundamental attribution error

attribution

Do you know what’s the single biggest factor causing problems in relationships? It’s a phenomenon called fundamental attribution error based on a Social Psychology theory called Attribution Theory. Before we talk about the reasons for fundamental attribution error, let’s properly understand what it means. Consider the following scenario: Sam: What’s the matter with you?Rita: It …

Read more

Gaslighting in psychology (Meaning, process & signs)

gaslight

Gaslighting someone means manipulating their perception of reality so that they begin to question their own sanity. The manipulation is so effective that a person being gaslighted comes to doubt their ability to perceive reality and recall events from memory accurately. Simply put, person A perceives something about person B, who denies it and accuses …

Read more

5 Different types of dissociation

This article will explore what dissociation means in psychology and then briefly go over the different types of dissociation. Lastly, we’ll touch on the connection between dissociation and trauma. Imagine how people react when tragedy strikes, be it a death in the family, a natural disaster, a terror attack, anything. Let’s take the example of …

Read more

Theory of neurotic needs

Neurosis generally refers to a mental disorder that is characterized by feelings of anxiety, depression, and fear that are disproportionate to the circumstances of a person’s life but not completely incapacitating. In this article, however, we’ll look at neurosis from the psychoanalytic perspective. It states that neurosis is the result of mental conflict. This article is based …

Read more

Subconscious priming in psychology

Priming in psychology is a phenomenon that occurs when exposure to a stimulus influences our thoughts and behavior in response to another succeeding stimulus. When this happens on a subconscious level, it’s called subconscious priming. In simpler words, when you’re exposed to a piece of information, it has a potential of influencing your response to a …

Read more

How to reduce cognitive dissonance

Simply put, cognitive dissonance is the inability of the human mind to hold two conflicting ideas or beliefs. The confusion and uncertainty caused by the presence of two conflicting ideas make the mind unstable. Since our mind constantly seeks stability, it does what it can to reduce cognitive dissonance. A cognitively dissonant state of mind …

Read more