Glossary of Technical Terms 829
seasonal pattern A pattern of the occurrence of a sp ecific mental disorder in selected
seasons of the year.
self-directedness, self-direction Pursuit of coherent and meaningful short-term and life
goals; utilization of constructive and prosocial internal standards of behavior; ability to
self-reflect productively.
separation insecurity Fears of being alone due to rejection by and/or separation from
significant others, based in a lack of confidence in one’s ability to care for oneself, both
physically and emotionally. Separation insecu rity is a facet of the broad personality
trait domain N EGATIVE  AFFECTIVITY . 
sex Biological indication of male and female (understood in the context of reproductive
capacity), such as sex chromosomes, gona ds, sex hormones, and nonambiguous inter-
nal and external genitalia.
sign An objective manifestation of a pathological condition. Signs are observed by the
examiner rather than reported by th e affected individual. Compare with SYMPTOM .
sleep-onset REM Occurrence of the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep within
minutes after falling asleep. Usually assessed by a polysomnographic MULTIPLE  SLEEP
LATENCY  TEST .
sleep terrors Recurrent episodes of abrupt terror ar ousals from sleep, usually occurring
during the first third of the major sleep episode and beginning with a panicky scream.
There is intense fear and signs of autonomi c arousal, such as mydriasis, tachycardia,
rapid breathing, and sweating, during each episode.
sleepwalking Repeated episodes of rising from bed during sleep and walking about,
usually occurring during the first third of the major sleep episode. While sleepwalking,
the person has a blank, staring face, is relati vely unresponsive to the efforts of others to