Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


pain disorder

in DSM–IV–TR, a somatoform disorder characterized by severe, prolonged pain that significantly interferes with a person’s ability to function. The pain cannot be accounted for solely by a medical condition, and there is evidence of psychological involvement in its onset, severity, exacerbation, or maintenance. Although not feigned or produced intentionally (compare factitious disorder; malingering), the pain may serve such psychological ends as avoidance of distasteful activity or gaining extra attention or support from others. Pain disorder was formerly referred to as psychogenic pain disorder or somatoform pain disorder. The diagnosis has been eliminated from DSM–5, although the new term somatic symptom disorder retains mention of such a disorder “with predominant pain.”

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 20th 2025

open-field test

open-field test

an experimental technique for measuring (quantifying) behaviors and physiological reactions (e.g., those indicative of anxiety) in rats and other small animals. The animal is placed in a space divided into squares so that the researcher may observe the number of squares the animal traverses in a specified time period.