A curated list of adages, psychological syndromes and behaviour explaining aphorisms.
Inspired by this issue and the awesome list thing.
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- Aphorisms / Adages / Epigrams
- Psychological Syndromes
- Stockholm Syndrome
- Dunning-Kruger Effect
- Pygmalion Effect
- Golem Effect
- Capgras Syndrome
- Hawthorne Effect
- Fregoli Delusion
- Placebo Effect
- Synesthesia
- Bystander Effect
- Munchausen syndrome
- Munchausen syndrome by proxy
- Zeigarnik Effect
- Mere-exposure Effect
- Cotard Delusion
- Trichotillomania
- Schizophrenia
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Prosopagnosia
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Ganser syndrome
- Multiple Personality Disorder
- Acute Stress Disorder
- Hypochondria
- Diogenes Syndrome
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Among competing hypotheses that predict equally well, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected
For each accepted explanation of a phenomenon, there is always an infinite number of possible and more complex alternatives, but simpler theories are more preferable because they are easily testable. This is a line of reasoning often used in daily life.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
A special case of Occam's razor, the history of this aphorism is controversial, but the applications are endless. Miscommunications are often attributed to this aphorism in Open Source Projects.
If anything can go wrong -- it will.
People most often relate with If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then., especially after the dawn of mobile communication (no coverage
right when you need it most) and the Internet (no connectivity, when you have to send
that one life-changing email.)
R: Ultimate collections of Murphy's Laws
As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1
In many newsgroups, it is a tradition in which whoever mentions the Nazis automatically
loses the debate that was going on, and the thread is finished there and then. Also, popularly
referred to as Playing the Hitler card.
It was difficult, after attempting a greater psychological understanding of why the Holocaust happened and how it was conducted, to tolerate the glib comparisons I encountered on the Internet (Usenet in those days) - Mike Godwin
R: Mike Godwin on 18 years of Godwin's law
R: slashdot.com, history and popular use
Bonus: an xkcd about this as well!
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
This adage explains why you end up studying the majority of your syllabus one day before the exam despite the fact that you probably had over a week to study. Interestingly, it is used to explain the inefficiencies of bureaucratic systems. Having earlier deadlines can be a way to get around the problem.
R: A Beginners Guide To Parkinson’s Law: How To Do More Stuff By Giving Yourself Less Time
R: What is Parkinson's law: The Hindu
When the victim mistakes a lack of abuse as an act of kindness by the captor.
Traumatic bonding that is most common in kidnapping situations, where the hostages express sympathy towards the captor, to the point of defending the captors. It may be attributed to the natural selection process that let our hunter-gatherer ancestors solve adaptive problems.
Dunning-Kruger effect [DKE]
When unskilled individuals mistakenly assess their abilty to be much higher than is accurate
R: Dunning Kruger effect in Software Development
the phenomenon whereby higher expectations lead to an increase in performance
The idea behind this effect is that if a leader expects more of a follower, then the follower tends to improve their performance. Studies of this effect in action are hard to conduct because they are generally in an artificial, manipulated setting. Also, there is an argument that often the perception of a follower by the leader directly or indirectly affect the expectations that said leader has from the follower. This effect was shown to exist in schools in the Rosenthal-Jacobson study.
The phenomenon where lower expectations placed upon individuals leads to poorer performance
The Golem effect is the negative corrollary of the Pygmalion Effect: Supervisors with negative expectations will inadvertently produce behaviours that reduce the efficiency of their subordinates. This effect has been most rigorously studied in Classroom settings. Teachers treat students performing poorly with high negative bias, this in turn leads the students to perform poorly, reinforcing the teacher's belief. This is one of the most problematic consequences of Golem Effect in the Classroom. A few studies have also been made on the Golem effect in the workplace.
R: Seimnal 1982 Paper on Golem Effect
Delusion that an individual's closed ones have been replaced by a double.
Capgras Syndrome(a.k.a Capgras Delusion) is a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member (or pet) has been replaced by an identical impostor. There is no definitive diagnosis available.
People behave better or improve their productivity when under observation
The Hawthorne effect (a.k.a Observation Bias) was first noticed at Hawthorne Works in Cicero, IL where the correlation between lighting conditions and employee producitivty was studied. Critics who doubt that a correlation exists in reality argue that the Hawthorne effect is a variant of the demand effect. Richard Nisbett, a distinguished professor of social psychology, has described the Hawthorne effect as "a glorified anecdote", saying that "once you have got the anecdote, you can throw away the data."
Belief that different people are in fact the same!
It is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise! The syndrome may be related to a brain lesion and is often of a paranoid nature, with the delusional person believing themselves persecuted by the person they believe is in disguise. This delusion is related to Capgras delusion. Psychiatrists believe it is the result of troubles with facial perception, which can be caused by traumatic brain injury.
R: delusionaldisorders.wordpress.com
Belief in a treatment may be enough to change the course of a person's physical illness.
A placebo is a substance or treatment with no active therapeutic effect. A placebo may be given to a person in order to deceive the recipient into thinking that it is an active treatment. In drug testing and medical research, a placebo can be made to resemble an active medication or therapy so that it functions as a control; this is to prevent the recipient(s) and/or others from knowing whether a treatment is active or inactive, as expectations about efficacy can influence results. In a broad sense, the effect may be viewed as an improvement in patients' symptoms that are attributable to their participation in the therapeutic encounter, with it's rituals, symbols, and interactions.
R: Placebo Effects in Medicine
When stimulation of one sense leads to involuntary experiences in another sense
This neurological phenomenon occurs when stimulation of one sense leads to involuntary experiences in another sense or a "union of the senses" where for example taste and sound are joined together. Some people experience color when they hear sounds or read words and may be able to answer a question like "What color is A?" Over 60 types of Synesthesia have been reported. Approximately 1 in 2000 people are believed to have Synesthesia.
Phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present
This effect occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. Being part of a large crowd makes it so no single person has to take responsibility for an action. Knowing that the bystander effect exists consciously is thought to be enough to prevent it from happening when one is a bystander in a situation where a victim needs help. If you are the victim seeking help, singling out one person in the crowd and appealing to them for help is often recommended as the best strategy to get any required assistance.
Person pretends to have a physical or mental illness in an attempt to get seek attention
Munchausen's syndrome is a psychological and behavioural condition where someone pretends to be ill or induces symptoms of illness in themselves. Their main intention is to assume the "sick role" to have people care for them and be the centre of attention. People with this disorder are often willing to undergo painful and risky tests in order to get the sympathy and special attention given to people who are truly ill. People suffering from this syndrome suffer from severe emotional difficulties.
Person acts as if an individual he or she is caring for has an illness when the person is not really sick.
Munchausen by proxy syndrome is a relatively rare form of child abuse that involves the exaggeration or fabrication of illnesses or symptoms by a primary caretaker. The adult perpetrator lies about illness in another person under his or her care, usually a child under 6 years of age. The female antagonist of the book Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn suffered from this disorder.
People remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones!
Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik observed the effect of interruption on memory processing in 1927. Whilst studying at the University of Berlin, her professor, Kurt Lewin, had noted how waiters in a cafe seemed to remember incomplete tabs more efficiently than those that had been paid for and were complete. Zeigarnik decided to test this hypothesis in an experimental setting, and published her findings in On Finished and Unfinished Tasks, 1927. Zeigarnik’s initial findings revealed that participants were able to recall details of interrupted tasks around 90% better than those that they had been able to complete undisturbed.
On Finished and Unfinished Tasks (Bluma Zeigarnik, 1927)
Repeated exposure of something leads to a more positive feeling about it
The mere-exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon by which people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them. In social psychology, this effect is sometimes called the familiarity principle. In studies of interpersonal attraction, the more often a person is seen by someone, the more pleasing and likeable that person appears to be. Another application is in seen in concerts where the crowd is more excited to listen to the cover of a popular song or an older song of the performing artist, as compared to a new, unheard one. Yet another application is related to advertising, where customers are more likely to buy a product that they have seen advertised several times before as compared to a product that they haven't ever seen before.
A rare mental disorder where the patient thinks they are dead or are missing some organs.
This delusion, a.k.a the Walking Corpse Syndrome, is a rare mental disorder in which a person mistakenly believes that they are dead, do not exist or are putrefying. Patients claim that they do not have internal organs or blood. The illness can be simply described as the denial of self-existence. Some patients may have delusions of immortality. The Cotard delusion withdraws the afflicted person from other people due to the neglect of their personal hygiene and physical health. The delusion of negation of self prevents the patient from making sense of external reality, which then produces a distorted view of the external world.
This disorder causes an urge in patient to pull their hair out
It is often caused by post-traumatic stress disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. A study has identified some gene mutations that increase the vulnerabilities. Treatment includes Habit Reversal Training where the patient is trained to recognize this abnormal impulse. The condition may also occur in early childhood.
Psychological disorder characterized by symptoms of lack of contact with reality
It was coined in 1910 by the Swiss psychiatrist Paul Eugen Bleuler derived from the Greek words schizo (split) and phren (mind). An illness closely resembling schizophrenia can be found in an ancient Egyptian medical text, dating back to 1550 BC. It causes a disconnection between what a person perceives as reality and what truly is reality. This mental gap can be extremely confusing, upsetting, and causes intense psychological distress to the patient.
Long pattern of abnormal behaviour including varying moods and self-image
People suffering from this disorder can experience anger, depression and anxiety which may last from a few hours to days. People may experience unstable relationships, indulge in risky activities, isolate themselves, feel diassociation or engage in self-harming behaviours. The cause for BPD is unknown. Although, studies show that many individuals with BPD report abuse, neglect and separation as young children. This syndrome can be treated using techniques such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
R: National Institute of Mental Health
A cognitive disorder that impairs the patient's recognition of familiar faces
This disorder is caused by lesions in the brain's occipital areas or due to Alzheimer's disease. People suffering from this disorder can still differentiate between people based on their hairstyle, their gait or their voice, but even these strategies don't always work, especially when meeting people out of context. There have been no treatment methods discovered as of now.
R: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
A mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder characterized by the obsessive idea that some aspect of one's own appearance is severely flawed and warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix it. In BDD's delusional variant, the flaw is imagined. If the flaw is actual, its importance is severely exaggerated.
Patient responds to questions with an incorrect answer
Ganser syndrome is a rare dissociative disorder previously classified as a factitious disorder. It is characterized by nonsensical or wrong answers to questions or doing things incorrectly, other dissociative symptoms such as fugue, amnesia or conversion disorder, often with visual pseudohallucinations and a decreased state of consciousness. This syndrome is still shrouded in mystery, owing mainly to the difficulty in conducting objective research. A patient might deliberately give odd approximate answers to a series of questions in an effort to confuse researchers.
A disorder characterised by the presence of two or more distinct personality states
Dissociative identity disorder (DID), also known as multiple personality disorder, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring identities or dissociated personalities. These states alternately show in a person's behavior, accompanied by memory impairment for important information not explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
As a response to the traumatic event, the individual develops dissociative symptoms
Acute stress reaction (also called acute stress disorder, psychological shock, mental shock, or simply shock) is a psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying or traumatic event, or witnessing a traumatic event that induces a strong emotional response within the individual. It should not be confused with the unrelated circulatory condition of shock/hypoperfusion.
Obsession with the idea of having a serious but undiagnosed medical condition
Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is inordinately worried about having a serious illness. It has been claimed that this debilitating condition results from an inaccurate perception of the condition of body or mind despite the absence of an actual medical diagnosis. Hypochondriacs demand more tests at a time when physicians are under pressure to curtail unnecessary procedures -- and they move among multiple providers, making it difficult to manage their care. As a group, hypochondriacs cost billions of dollars a year in unnecessary medical tests and treatments that are many times not borne by the individual, but by all the people whose insurance premiums rise because of these bills.
Involves excessive hoarding of garbage and severe self-neglect
Diogenes syndrome is characterised by abnormal possessiveness, excessive hoarding, severe self-neglect, social withdrwal, apathy, distrust and refusal of help and dirty homes. Diogenes syndrome tends to occur among the elderly. It occurs in both men and women. The syndrome is named after an ancient Greek philosopher
A pattern of irritable mood, aggressiveness and vindictiveness
Children and adolescents with Oppositional Defiant Disorder tend to very quickly lose their temper, are disobedient, apt to rebel against authorities and quick to blame others. These impulses are acted out so often that they compromise the ability to get along with ohers. The refuse to cooperate even before knowing what is expected of them. Children with ODD often have mood disorders like depression, anxiety disorders, or learning or communication disorders.
A disorder characterized by extreme mood swings, from depression to euphoria
During a manic episode, people may feel excited, have lots of energy, increased activity, do risky things and can be agitated easily. During depressive episodes, they feel sad, down, hopeless, have decresed activity levels, trouble sleeping and eating. Sometimes, a person with severe episodes of mania or depression also has psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions. In the TV series Homeland protagonist Carrie Mathison suffers from this disorder.
R: National Institute of Mental Health
Neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by inattention and hyperactivity
The people with this disorder have problem in paying attention, organising activities, are easily distracted, constantly "on the move", fidget, and make impulsive decisions. For a person to receive a diagnosis of ADHD, the symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity must be chronic or long-lasting, impair the person's functioning, and cause the person to fall behind normal development for their age. Some conditions, such as learning disabilities, anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, depression, and substance abuse, are common in people with ADHD.
R: National Institute of Mental Health
Autism Spectrum Disorder [ASD]
A serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by troubles with social interaction and communication. Often there is also restricted and repetitive behavior. Parents usually notice signs in the first two or three years of their child's life. These signs often develop gradually, though some children with autism reach their developmental milestones at a normal pace and then worsen. Autism is a wide-spectrum disorder. No two people suffering from ASD will exhibit the exact same symptoms. Although, some commonly found characterisitcs include: reduced social skills, lack of empathy, an aversion to physical contact with strangers, an aversion to loud noises and bright lighting.
Mental disorder developed after a traumatic event in a person's life
PTSD is a disorder that people develop after experiencing a life threatening or traumatic event. PTSD can happen to anyone and is not a sign of weakness. To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have all of the following for at least 1 month: at least one re-experiencing symptom such as flashbacks or bad dreams, at least one avoidance symptom such as avoiding a place or thought, at least two arousal and reactivity symptoms such as feeling irritated or angry, and at least two cognition and mood symptoms such as negative thoughts and feelings. The risks of PTSD are increased if after a traumatic event, there is lack of social support or extra stress due to the loss of a loved one, loss of a job or home. The risks of PTSD can be reduced by seeking out a support group after a traumatic event, by having a positive coping strategy and by learning to feel good about one's own actions in the face of fear. Everyone who goes through a traumatic event will not develop PTSD, in fact, most will not. There are some events in the past, such as childhood trauma, which may make a person more susceptible to PTSD. Genetic reasons may also make some people more likely to develop PTSD than others.
R: National Institute of Mental Health
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