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actuarial risk assessment

a statistically calculated prediction of the likelihood that an individual will pose a threat to others or engage in a certain behavior (e.g., violence) within a given period. Unlike in a clinical risk assessment, someone conducting an actuarial risk assessment relies on data from specific, measurable variables (e.g., age, gender, prior criminal activity) that have been validated as predictors and uses mathematical analyses and formulas to calculate the probability of dangerousness or violent behavior.

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Psychology term of the day

January 2nd 2025

talking cure

talking cure

a synonym for insight-oriented psychotherapy, sometimes used dismissively. The term is apt in that the essence of certain psychotherapeutic approaches is for the client to “talk out” his or her problems with the therapist. First used in the context of psychoanalysis, the term was coined by the landmark patient Anna O.anna-o