Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


life history

in therapy and counseling, a systematic account of the client’s development from birth to the present, including the meaningful aspects of the client’s emotional, social, and intellectual development. The account is taken by the therapist or counselor directly from the client and may additionally be derived from autobiographical material.

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

February 24th 2025

simple structure

simple structure

in exploratory factor analysis, a set of criteria for determining the adequacy of a factor rotation solution. These criteria require that each factor show a pattern of high factor loadings on certain variables and near-zero loadings on others and that each variable load on only one factor. This minimizes the complexity of the factor solution, allows each variable to be most strongly identified with a specific factor, and increases interpretability.