Psychoanalysis: Meaning and Examples
The psychodynamic approach is rooted in the basic belief that people have unconscious desires, thoughts, feelings, and memories that, while outside of conscious awareness, still influence a person’s behavior.
Personality Psychology Quiz
How much do you know about personality psychology? Put your knowledge to the test with this brief quiz.
How to Find a New Hobby: 9 Tips That Can Help
Hobbies can be a great way to relieve stress and add happiness to your life. Learn about the benefits of having healthy hobbies and explore some great ideas for your next rewarding past-time.
How to Simplify Your Life
The greatest joys in life are often the simplest. When you feel overwhelmed by all of the stress, commitments, and other stuff currently cluttering your time, it might be time to step back and figure out what you can do to simplify your life. By cutting out the things that don’t matter, you can save…
25 Ways to Increase Your Self-Confidence
Self-confidence refers to your own belief in your abilities to succeed. A healthy amount of self-confidence is essential to mental health and well-being. If you struggle to feel confident in yourself, this article offers tips and advice to help you increase your trust in yourself and your skills. How to Be More Confident Acknowledge your…
5 Stages of Burnout: How to Cope
Burnout is a problem that involves a loss of energy, feeling distant from goals, and a sense of cynicism about work or other tasks. This feeling often emerges when people face a great deal of stress, particularly when the stress is ongoing, and the individual lacks the resources to cope. Research suggests that burnout is…
Anchoring Bias: Definition and Examples
The anchoring bias is a type of heuristic that causes people to use the first they learn as a reference point for making future judgments and decisions. This anchoring effect is highly prevalent across a wide range of situations–and it’s also very difficult to overcome. In this article, learn more about what causes the anchoring…
Implicit Personality Theory
An implicit personality theory is a theory that people form about the traits, characteristics, behaviors, and personalities of other people. When you meet someone new, you form an impression of them, but this first impression is based on very limited information. The impressions that you form are influenced by a variety of factors, including assumptions,…
What Is Conformity? Definition and Examples
Conformity involves changing your behavior to align with other people’s behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes. People often conform to blend in with others in their social group. It is a type of social influence that compels people to behave in ways seen as “normal” for that specific group. Researchers define conformity as “aligning one’s attitude, opinion…
Selective Attention: Definition, Types, and Examples
People are continuously inundated with endless amounts of information. External stimulation, internal thoughts, emotions, and other forces all compete for our attention. To deal with this, people utilize selective attention to tune out things they don’t need to focus on and concentrate on the important things. In this article, learn more about how selective attention…
Attachment Style Quiz: What’s Your Attachment Style?
Attachment is an emotional connection between two. Attachment is also an important part of romantic love, so our attachment styles can have an impact on our relationships. What’s your attachment style? Take this quiz to find out. For more information on attachment, read this overview of attachment styles.
4 Styles of Attachment: Signs, Effects, and Quiz
Our attachment styles shape how we connect, trust, and build relationships. Discover the different styles and how they impact love, friendships, and self-image.
Schedules of Reinforcement: Examples and Uses
Schedules of reinforcement determine when rewards are delivered and can affect the learning process.
What Are Psychological Theories?
Psychological theories are frameworks that help explain various aspects of human thought and behavior. Such theories are created as a way to explain, predict, and modify human behaviors. By using these theories, psychologists can create interventions and treatments to help people live and function more effectively. Some of these theories are more historical in nature…
Operant Conditioning Examples: How it Works
Operant conditioning is a learning process that utilizes reinforcement and punishment to modify behavior. Learn more about how it works.
Examples of Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is a learning process in which a neutral stimulus is paired with another stimulus that naturally produces a response. After repeated pairing, the previously neutral stimulus begins to evoke the response all on its own. Examples of classical conditioning include Pavlov’s experiment with dogs salivating at the sound of a bell and fear…
Albert Bandura Biography, Theories, and Impact
Albert Bandura was an influential Canadian-American psychologist known for his social learning theory, the Bobo doll experiment, observational learning, and self-efficacy. Throughout his long career, he left an indelible mark on the field of psychology and influenced other areas such as education and psychotherapy. In this article, learn more about Albert Bandura, including his early…
Social Learning Theory: How Bandura’s Theory Works
Social learning theory, also known today as social cognitive theory, is a theory proposed by psychologist Albert Bandura that explains how people learn through observation, imitation, and modeling. This model of learning suggests that both environmental and cognitive factors play a critical role in the acquisition of knowledge. In this article, learn more about the…
B. F. Skinner: Biography and Theories
B. F. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904. He went on to become an influential psychologist who first described the learning process known as operant conditioning. Skinner played a pivotal role in behaviorism, a school of thought that suggested that all behavior was learned through conditioning processes. Skinner referred to himself as a radical…
8 Classic Psychological Experiments
Psychological experiments can tell us a lot about the human mind and behavior. Some of the best-known experiments have given us insights into topics such as conformity, obedience, attachment, and learning. There are many famous (and sometimes infamous) psychological experiments that have helped shape our understanding of the human mind and behavior. Such experiments offered…