Psychological Behavior Terms

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb to describe how the action is done

• The data was chaotically organized, making it difficult to analyze.
• She ran chaotically through the crowd trying to catch the bus.
• The party was chaotically lit, everyone was having a great time.
• His thoughts were chaotically swirling in his mind, making it hard to focus.

noun a minor crime, especially one committed by a young person

adjective delinquent

• The study found a correlation between low socioeconomic status and juvenile delinquency.
• The teacher warned the students about the consequences of delinquency in school.
• If you keep skipping class, you're gonna get in some serious delinquency trouble.
• Procrastination is the delinquency of time management.

noun An overt act is a physical action or behavior that is open, observable, and not hidden or secret.

adjective The word 'overt' describes something that is clearly shown or easily observable.

• The prosecution must prove that the defendant committed an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.
• The cops caught him red-handed while he was in the middle of an overt act.
• He got busted while trying to pull off that overt act.
• His decision to quit his job was seen as an overt act of rebellion against the company.

noun the act of lying or deviating from the truth

• The politician's prevarication on the issue only served to further erode public trust.
• Stop with the prevarication and just tell us the truth already!
• I can't stand his constant prevarication - just be straight with us!
• Her prevarication was like a tangled web of lies that eventually unraveled.

noun a term used to describe the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone instead of paying attention

• P-phubbing, or phone snubbing, refers to the act of ignoring someone in favor of looking at your phone.
• My friend always p-phubs me when we hang out, it's so annoying.
• Stop p-phubbing me, I'm trying to have a conversation with you!
• P-phubbing can create distance in relationships, both physically and emotionally.