fetal distress

the condition of a fetus whose life or health is threatened, most commonly by an inadequate supply of oxygen via the placenta. Signs of fetal distress include abnormal heart rate, elevated blood acidity, and absence of movement. This term has been criticized as being imprecise and nonspecific; it is recommended that the specific symptoms be described, assessed, and treated. Also called nonreassuring fetal status.

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Psychology term of the day

March 17th 2025

enactment

1. the acting out of an important life event rather than expressing it in words. See psychodrama.

2. in some forms of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, the patient’s reliving of past relationships in the transference relationship with the therapist and, conversely, the therapist’s move away from active neutrality to unwittingly intertwine personal issues into symbolic interactions with the patient (a countertransference phenomenon). Attunement to the relational patterns that emerge in this therapeutic relationship offers the therapist an opportunity to help the patient acknowledge and work through similar patterns in the patient’s relationships with others. See also relational psychoanalysis; self psychology.

3. in some forms of couples therapy, a technique in which the therapist recreates areas of conflict between partners in order to facilitate bonding moments.

4. see structural family therapy.