Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


ethical dilemma

a situation in which two moral principles conflict with one another. Fictional or hypothetical dilemmas of this kind are often used to assess the moral beliefs or moral reasoning skills of individuals. Also called moral dilemma. See Heinz dilemma.

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

July 27th 2024

primary insomnia

primary insomnia

in DSM–IV–TR, a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty in initiating or maintaining a restorative sleep to a degree in which the severity and persistence of the sleep disturbance causes clinically significant distress, impairment in a significant area of functioning, or both. The disorder is not caused by a general medical condition or the effects of a substance and is not exclusively an aspect of another sleep disorder or mental disorder. It is termed insomnia disorder in DSM–5. See dyssomnia. Compare primary hypersomnia.