Chapter 9
A feeling of detachment from oneself, such as experiencing one’s body, thoughts, or actions as unreal or as though observing them from outside.
Depersonalization
The outward expression of emotion observed through facial expressions, tone of voice, and behavior.
Affect
Purposeful, patient-centered communication that builds trust, encourages expression, and supports understanding, coping, and care goals.
Therapeutic communications
Messages in which words and nonverbal signals do not match, such as saying “I’m fine” while crying.
Incongruent communications
Disruptions in expressing, receiving, or interpreting messages that interfere with mutual understanding.
Disturbed communications
Evaluating characteristics, circumstances, and behaviors that increase the likelihood of harm or health problems, including suicide, violence, or injury.
Risk factor assessment
The ability to register, store, and recall information and experiences.
Memory
A systematic, ongoing approach to care involving assessment, nursing diagnosis or problem identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Nursing (therapeutic) process
A language disorder caused by damage to the brain that can affect speaking, understanding language, reading, or writing.
Aphasia
Communication within oneself, including self-talk, internal reflection, and thinking through experiences.
Intrapersonal communications
The ability to perform arithmetic tasks, assessed as part of cognitive functioning.
Calculation
A purposeful conversation used to gather information about a person’s health, experiences, concerns, and needs.
Interview
Deliberate ways of replying that support communication, such as clarification, reflection, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
Responding strategies
A fluency disorder involving speech perceived as excessively rapid or irregular, often with unusual pauses, omitted syllables, or other disruptions that reduce clarity.
Speech cluttering
The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information, influenced by experiences, beliefs, and expectations.
Perception
A person’s sustained internal emotional state, usually described in their own words, such as feeling sad, anxious, or happy.
Mood
A framework for interpreting patient information, identifying priorities, choosing appropriate actions, and evaluating results. The NCSBN model includes recognizing cues, analyzing cues, prioritizing hypotheses, generating solutions, taking action, and evaluating outcomes.
Clinical judgment model
Systematically gathering and evaluating information about a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and social condition to identify care needs.
Assessment
Communication through signals other than words, such as facial expressions, gestures, posture, eye contact, silence, and tone of voice.
Nonverbal communication
The process of exchanging information, ideas, feelings, and meaning through words, actions, or other signals.
Communication
Gathering subjective and objective information through interviews, observation, examination, records, and other sources.
Data collection
How a person receives and interprets sensory information, including what they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.
Perceptions
Communication between two or more people.
Interpersonal communications
A learning disorder involving difficulty with accurate or fluent word reading, decoding, and spelling.
Dyslexia
Responses that hinder trust, expression, or understanding, such as judging, dismissing feelings, or giving false reassurance.
Nontherapeutic communications
The ability to evaluate situations, consider consequences, and make appropriate decisions.
Judgment
Awareness and understanding of one’s own condition, symptoms, behaviors, and need for treatment.
Insight
How a person’s thoughts are organized and connected, including their logic, flow, speed, and ability to stay focused.
A person’s usual way of expressing messages and interacting with others, such as assertively, passively, or aggressively.
Communication style
The receiver’s response to a message, which helps the sender determine how the message was understood.
Feedback
What a person thinks about, including beliefs, concerns, preoccupations, delusions, or thoughts of harming oneself or others.
Thought content
A person’s overall state of consciousness and awareness, including alertness, attention, and orientation to self and surroundings.
Communication using spoken or written words.
Verbal communication