Social Clock: How Society’s Timelines Create Pressure
A social clock is a cultural timetable of societal expectations for when certain goals should be met at different stages of life.Â
‘It’s My Comfort Zone’: Meaning, Benefits, and Challenges
Learn why comfort zones are essential for mental health, when they become limiting, and how stepping beyond them can lead to personal growth, new experiences, and confidence.
Personal Fable Examples: Meaning and Impact
Discover real-life examples of personal fables and how they influence our perceptions of uniqueness and experiences.
Examples of Wants and Needs—Can You Tell the Difference?
The differences between what’s *nice* to have and what’s a *must* have.
Comparative Psychology: Definition, Examples, and Research
What studying animal behavior can tell us.
Freud’s Theory of the Unconscious Mind
What drives us often lies below the surface of awareness.
Multiple Intelligences Test: What Type of Intelligence Do You Have?
Discover which type of intelligence is your superpower.
Asch Conformity Experiments: Line Study
Exploring how social pressure influences our decisions and perceptions.
Observable Behavior: Definition and Examples
Observable behaviors are actions we can see and measure. Here’s why they are important.
How to Write a Great Psychology Essay
A great psychology essay contains a thesis and strong arguments. Learn the proper structure for an essay and what to include in your paper.
Understanding External Locus of Control: Impact, Signs, and How to Change It
Does it feel like luck, fate, or outside forces are controlling your life? Here’s why having an external locus of control can lead to a sense of helplessness.
List of Insecurities: Common Types of Self-Doubt We All Share
We’re all insecure about something. Recognizing just how common some of these insecurities can help you feel less alone—and maybe a little more confident.
A List of Guilty Pleasures
Guilty pleasures are defined as things we love but feel bad about loving because they are not particularly well-regarded (or even seen as socially unacceptable). These things bring us joy but might be considered low-brow, embarrassing, or shameful. As a result, we might keep these guilty pleasures to ourselves and only enjoy them in secret….
What Are the 16 Personality Factors?
The 16 Personality Factors (16PF) are a framework for understanding personality traits introduced by psychologist Raymond Cattell. This theory is based on the idea that there are 16 basic personality dimensions. Cattell also suggested that these dimensions could be measured using self-report questionnaires and other methods. Cattell’s theory is one of the many ways of…
Affirmations for Anxiety: 35 for Anxiety Relief
Affirmations are positive statements that resonate with you and help promote well-being. They can focus on a range of topics. For example, affirmations for anxiety can help you feel calmer, more relaxed, and better able to handle feelings of distress. How you speak to yourself, or your self-talk, can play an important role in how…
50+ Great Emotional Intelligence Quotes
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive and manage one’s own emotions and understand those of others. Exploring some emotional intelligence quotes from experts, researchers, and others can provide insight into what this ability means and how it can affect one’s life. Research has shown that being able to identify and label your emotions…
What Is a Conditioned Stimulus in Psychology?
A conditioned stimulus is a stimulus that evokes a conditioned response. A previously neutral stimulus is associated with an unconditioned stimulus through the classical conditioning process. Eventually, this neutral stimulus starts to evoke the same response, at which point it becomes known as the conditioned stimulus. For example, imagine that you hear the sound of…
What Is Prosocial Behavior? Meaning and Examples
Prosocial behavior involves actions that are designed to help other people or to benefit society as a whole. Examples of prosocial behaviors include being kind, comforting, generous, or helpful. When people engage in prosocial behaviors, they often do so because they are concerned, compassionate, and empathetic. They want to ensure others have what they need,…
What Is the Unconditioned Response in Psychology?
In classical conditioning, the unconditioned response is the natural, automatic reaction that is triggered by the unconditioned stimulus. It occurs unconditionally, which means it happens without having to go through any prior learning. For example, if you hear a loud, sudden noise, you might automatically startle. That natural reaction is the unconditioned response. You don’t…
What Is Functional Fixedness in Psychology?
Functional fixedness is when people can only think of traditional ways of using objects. It is a type of cognitive bias that prevents people from thinking outside of the box and developing creative solutions. When you have a particular tool, you might look at it in terms of how it is traditionally used. A screwdriver,…