Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


conceptual system

the organization of a person’s cognitive abilities, emotional awareness, experience, and philosophical or religious orientation into a system for understanding events, data, or experience. See also cognitive structure; frame.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

novelty seeking

novelty seeking

1. a personality trait characterized by a strong interest in having new experiences; it is often associated with risk-taking behavior, and hence the term may be used synonymously with sensation seeking. It is also increasingly the preferred term for neophilia.

2. see Cloninger’s psychobiological model of personality; Temperament and Character Inventory.