| A | B |
|---|
| Maturation | developmental changes that occur as a result of automatic, genetically determined signals |
| Critical period | a stage or point in development during which a person or animal is best suited to learn a skill or behavior pattern |
| Reflex | an automatic, unlearned response to a sensory stimulus |
| Attachment | an active and intense emotional relationship between two people that endures over time |
| Stranger anxiety | beginning at about eight months, the fear of strangers that infants commonly display |
| Separation anxiety | beginning at about eight months, distress that is sometimes experienced by infants when they are separated from their primary caregivers |
| Contact comfort | the instinctual need to touch and be touched by something soft, such as skin or fur |
| Unconditional positive regard | a consistent expression of love and acceptance shown regardless of changing situations or behaviors |
| Conditional positive regard | the expression of love or esteem given only when an individual exhibits suitable behavior |
| Object permanence | the awareness that people and objects continue to exist even when they cannot be perceived |
| Puberty | the period of sexual maturation; the onset of one’s ability to reproduce |
| Cliques | a small, exclusive group of people within a larger group |
| Anorexia | an eating disorder characterized by extreme weight loss due to self-starvation |
| Bulimia | an eating disorder in which enormous quantities of food are consumed and then purged by means of laxatives or self-induced |
| Status offenses | actions that are illegal when committed by a minor, such as consuming alcohol |
| Identity | who you are and what you stand for (your values) |
| Patriarchy | a social organization marked by the supremacy of males in the clan, family, or society |
| Generativity | according to Erikson, the ability to create, originate, and produce throughout adulthood |
| Midlife crisis | a turning point experienced by many people between ages 45 to 65, when they realize that life may be half over and they reassess the next phase of their lives |
| Empty nest syndrome | a sense of depression and a loss of purpose that some parents experience when the youngest child leaves home |
| Dementia | a serious loss of cognitive function |
| Ego integrity | according to Erikson, the belief in late adulthood that life is still meaningful and worthwhile; also the wisdom to accept one’s approaching death |
| Hospice | a type of care for terminally ill patients; an organization that provides such care |
| Euthanasia | the act of killing or enabling the death of a hopelessly sick or injured individual in a relatively painless way; also called mercy killing |
| Bereaved | mourning after the death of a loved one |
