Sociology Terms and Concepts: A Comprehensive List

Sociological Terms and Concepts

  • Autonomous State

    A theoretical model of the state that interprets the state as developing interests of its own, independent of other interests.

  • Sexual Behavior

    Functional for society because it prevents the instability and conflict that more liberal sexual attitudes supposedly generate.

  • Rationalization

    The process whereby some nationality is assigned what are perceived to be race characteristics.

  • Semiperipheral Countries

    Semi-industrialized countries that represent a kind

Read More

Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms, Stages, and Care

Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Understanding Vascular Dementia

Vascular dementia is an anatomoclinical syndrome resulting from cerebral arterial lesions with different pathophysiological mechanisms, such as ischemia, hypertension, cardiac disorders, hematologic disorders, and bleeding. Symptoms typically have a sudden onset and a fluctuating course. Patients often present with extensive neurological deficits, but their personality may be partially or totally conserved.

Alzheimer’s Disease:

Read More

Psychiatry Review: Key Concepts and Disorders

Psychiatry Review

Disorders of Consciousness: Delirium

The essential features of delirium are:

  • Alterations of the level of consciousness and attention.
  • Changes in cognitive functions in relation to the individual’s previous level.
  • Abrupt onset and fluctuating course.
  • Suspicion of an organic cause in its etiology.

Hallucination vs. Delusion

A hallucination is a perception that occurs without an external stimulus, unlike an illusion, and is not derived from the patient’s ideas or processes.

The Concept of

Read More

Child Development: Affective, Identity, and Social Growth

Week 1: The Affective Domain

  • Domains of Development: Cognitive, Social-Emotional, Physical (interrelated).
  • Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura): Learning through observation.
  • Key Components:
    • Self-efficacy: Belief in ability to control behavior.
    • Behavioral capability: Skills to perform behavior.
    • Expectations: Outcomes of behavior change.
    • Observational learning: Watching others.
    • Reinforcement: Incentives for behavior change.
  • Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner): Development influenced by environment:
    • Microsystems,
Read More

Psychological Theories: Freud, Behaviorism, Cognitive & Humanistic

Psychoanalytic Theory

  • Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), Jacques Lacan
  • Theory of personality and defense mechanisms.
  • The relationship between the self, and the id, ego, and superego (reality principle and pleasure).
  • Theory of the instincts.
  • The new theory of instincts: Eros and Thanatos.
  • Theory of Sexuality.
  • Phases: oral, anal, phallic (Oedipus complex), latency, puberty.
  • Dreams.
  • Theory of culture.

Behaviorism

  • John B. Watson: One of the most important American psychologists.
  • Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936): Classical
Read More

Psychological Reactions to Physical Illness: Stages and Determinants

Psychological Reactions to Physical Illness

The psychological reactions to a disease significantly influence the adaptation process and the patient’s relationship with the healthcare team.

Chronic Psychological Symptoms

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Somatization disorder

Depression

Symptoms include disinterest, discouragement, a depressed state, slowed thinking, guilt, weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, and thoughts of death.

Anxiety

Characterized by excessive worry, impatience, irritability, sleep disturbances,

Read More