Key Terms

Key Terms & Definitions

A

• Accommodation – Adjustments or modifications to work or environment to enable individuals with disabilities to perform tasks.

• Acculturation – The process of cultural and psychological change following contact between different cultures.

• Acute Pain – Short-term pain that typically lasts less than six months and is directly related to tissue damage.

• Acute Stress – A short-term stress response to an immediate perceived threat.

• Anorexia Nervosa – An eating disorder characterized by restrictive eating, intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image.

• Anxiety Disorder – A category of mental health disorders involving excessive fear, worry, or nervousness.

• Archetypes – Universal, symbolic images found in the collective unconscious, as described by Carl Jung.

• ASIA Impairment Scale – A tool used to classify spinal cord injuries based on motor and sensory function.

• Autonomy – The right of individuals to make their own decisions.

B

• Beneficence – The ethical principle of acting in the best interest of others.

• Binge Eating Disorder – An eating disorder characterized by episodes of excessive food consumption without compensatory behaviors.

• Biopsychosocial Model – A framework that considers biological, psychological, and social factors in health and illness.

• Boundaries – Limits that define acceptable professional and personal interactions.

• Bradyphrenia – Slowness of thought processes, often seen in brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases.

• Brain Injury – Damage to the brain caused by trauma, stroke, or disease.

• Bulimia Nervosa – An eating disorder marked by cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like vomiting.

• Burnout – A state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion due to prolonged stress.

C

• Canada Labour Code – Federal legislation governing employment standards, health and safety, and labor relations.

• Canada Pension Plan – A government-run pension program providing income benefits to retired and disabled Canadians.

• Canadian Adult Achievement Test (CAAT) – An assessment measuring literacy, numeracy, and other academic skills.

• Canadian Human Rights Act – A law ensuring equal opportunity and preventing discrimination.

• Canadian Multiculturalism Act – Legislation promoting the preservation and appreciation of cultural diversity in Canada.

• Canadian Work Preference Inventory – A tool used to assess an individual’s work style and preferences.

• Carl Rogers – A psychologist known for developing client-centered therapy and emphasizing unconditional positive regard.

• Chronic Pain – Long-term pain lasting beyond six months, often persisting despite healing.

• Chronic Stress – Ongoing, long-term stress that can negatively affect health and well-being.

• Chronological Resume – A resume format that lists work experience in reverse chronological order.

• Classical Conditioning – A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an automatic response (Pavlov's dogs).

• Client Motivation – The willingness and drive of a client to engage in rehabilitation or treatment.

• Clinical Iatrogenesis – Harm caused by medical treatment or interventions.

• Cognitive Dissonance – Psychological discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs or behaviors.

• Collective Unconscious – Jung’s concept of inherited, universal memories and archetypes shared by all humans.

• Combination Resume – A mix of chronological and functional resume styles, highlighting both skills and work history.

• Confidentiality – The ethical duty to protect a client’s private information.

• Conflict of Interest – A situation where a professional’s personal interests could interfere with their duties.

• Correlation – A statistical relationship between two variables but does not imply causation.

• Counter-Transference – A therapist's emotional reaction to a client, based on the therapist’s own past experiences.

• Criterion-Referenced – A test measuring performance against a set standard rather than against other individuals.

• Cultural Assumption – An unexamined belief that one's own culture is the norm.

• Cultural Tunnel Vision – A limited perspective that fails to recognize cultural differences.