crystal gazing

1. in certain alternative therapies, a technique in which an individual is instructed to visualize significant experiences or produce associations while staring into a glass ball, light bulb, mirror, or other shiny or transparent object.

2. the occult practice in which a fortune teller or clairvoyant looks into a crystal ball to “see” visions of future or hidden events, usually in the life of a particular client. It is a form of scrying.

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Psychology term of the day

January 31st 2025

self-monitoring observation

self-tracking of one’s behaviors, attitudes, or emotions over time. In research studies and clinical interventions focused on weight loss, for example, participants are encouraged to keep track of their eating patterns, their feelings related to their eating, and triggers for not maintaining their diet. This enables a clinician or researcher to review periods when the participant is outside the clinical setting or laboratory. Compare analogue observation; naturalistic observation.