Conditions of Worth  -  Term used by Carl Rogers to describe social influences on the self-concept; for instance, a child might not include anger in her self-concept because her parents' scolding has established a condition of worth such that anger is inappropriate.

Existentialism  -  Existentialism is a broad philosophical, psychological, and literary movement that focuses on the authenticity, freedom, responsibility, and choice of the individual confronted with the threat of meaninglessness and non-existence.

Existential Freedom  -  Freedom to choose one's being--including thoughts, behaviors, and feelings, and existence itself--at each moment. Also see existential anxiety.

Existential Anxiety  -  Fear of meaninglessness or non-existence. Also see existential freedom.

Fear of Meaninglessness  -  Fear of having no direction, purpose, or ultimate grounding for existence.

Hierarchy of Needs  -  Maslow's set of human needs; includes physiological, safety, belongingness and love, esteem, and self-actualization, in order from lowest (most basic) need to highest (most complex) need.

Holism  -  Approach that focuses on the whole system (e.g. the whole human being); opposite of reductionism.

Humanistic Psychology  -  Psychological approach that focuses on the whole person's subjective experience of life and on the person's potential for self-actualization.

Phenomenology  -  Approach that focuses on subjective experience.

Reductionism  -  Approach that focuses on breaking a system into its constituent parts. Opposite of holism.

Self-Actualization  -  Process of reaching one's personal goals. According to Maslow, includes self- expression, creatively, connectedness, meaning, purpose, and direction in life.