Practitioners of any profession develop a vocabulary unique to that profession, and psychology is no different. Over time, however, our understanding of the world changes, so research, politics, advocacy, and other forces affect the language psychologists use. In this section we'll look at some terms that are considered problematic, often because they've grown outdated.
Each entry contains a brief explanation of the term in question. Clicking on the link will take you to a new page with a longer discussion that includes information on historical and political influences, preferred terms, related jargon, and other relevant information you may find helpful.
In psychology, antisocial refers to a personality disorder in which a person consistently disregards and violates other people's rights, not someone who doesn't like to hang out with other people.
Preferred terms: Gay (or gay male), lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, and transgender are all considered appropriate terms.
People often ask what makes someone "crazy," but "crazy" colloquially tends to mean "without explanation," and there's always a reason for disturbed behavior; hence, nobody is really "crazy." Both experts and people with mental illnesses disagree on how appropriate these terms are in humorous contexts, but it's never nice to call someone one of these terms. Like any slur, it might be okay for the person with the problem to say it, but you're safer just...not.
This is a colloquialism that means absolutely nothing to the clinician. If someone says they had a "nervous breakdown," the first thing the listener has to do is find out what that means to the speaker. For some it means they just wore themselves out, for some it means they had a panic attack, for some it means they got so depressed they felt like crying all the time. It implies that someone has reached "the end of his rope," but that's about it.
Preferred terms:A diagnostic or clinical label that indicates what's wrong.
Neurotic is a term Freud used, and it suggests anxiety, Type A behavior, or other types of worrying behavior such as hypochondriasis or Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, but because it's so broad it serves no real purpose. Therefore, it's not a current clinical term.
Preferred terms:A diagnostic or clinical label that indicates what's wrong.
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