817Glossary of
 Technical Terms
affect A pattern of observable behaviors that is the expression of a subjectively experi-
enced feeling state (emotion). Examples of af fect include sadness, elation, and anger. In
contrast to mood,  which refers to a pervasive and sustained emotional “climate,” affect
refers to more fluctuating changes in emot ional “weather.” What is considered the nor-
mal range of the expression of affect varies  considerably, both within and among dif-
ferent cultures. Disturba nces in affect include
blunted Significant reduction in the inte nsity of emotional expression.
flat Absence or near absence of an y sign of affective expression.
inappropriate Discordance between affective expression and the content of speech
or ideation.
labile Abnormal variability in affect with repeated, rapid, and abrupt shifts in af-
fective expression.
restricted or constricted Mild reduction in the range and intensity of emotional ex-
pression.
affective blunting See AFFECT .
agitation (psychomotor) See PSYCHOMOTOR  AGITATION .
agnosia Loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells that occurs
in the absence of either impairment of the specific sense or significant memory loss.
alogia An impoverishment in thinking that is inferred from observing speech and lan-
guage behavior. There may be brief and concre te replies to questions and restriction in
the amount of spontaneous speech (termed poverty of speech ). Sometimes the speech is
adequate in amount but conveys little inform ation because it is overconcrete, overab-
stract, repetitive, or stereotyped (termed poverty of content ).
amnesia An inability to recall important autobiog raphical information that is inconsis-
tent with ordinary forgetting.