refractory

adj.

1. resistant to control, as in a disease or disorder that fails to respond to a typically efficacious therapy.

2. in neurophysiology, describing a neuron or muscle cell that is unable to respond to a stimulus. See refractory period.

3. stubborn, uncooperative, or unmanageable. —refractoriness n.

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Psychology term of the day

January 13th 2025

occupational counseling

an early 20th-century approach to vocational guidance. Three steps were identified in the process: (a) relevant knowledge of self, (b) realistic knowledge of occupations, and (c) true reasoning in making sensible choices. [proposed by U.S. educator Frank Parsons (1854–1908)]