C1 · Advanced

Mind & Behaviour — C1 English Vocabulary

This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about mind & behaviour — deep psychology and motivation. Every word comes with its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.

  1. psychosis/saɪˈkəʊ.sɪs/

    “He suffered a brief psychosis.”

  2. neurosis/njʊəˈrəʊ.sɪs/

    “Her neurosis stemmed from childhood.”

  3. narcissism/ˈnɑː.sɪ.sɪ.zəm/

    “His narcissism is striking.”

  4. egotism/ˈeɡ.ə.tɪ.zəm/

    “His egotism alienates people.”

  5. self-awareness/ˌself.əˈweə.nəs/

    “Therapy builds self-awareness.”

  6. subjectivity/ˌsʌb.dʒekˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/

    “There is too much subjectivity here.”

  7. drive/draɪv/

    “She has real drive.”

  8. inhibition/ˌɪn.hɪˈbɪʃ.ən/

    “Alcohol lowers inhibition.”

  9. suppression/səˈpreʃ.ən/

    “Emotional suppression is harmful.”

  10. transference/trænsˈfɜː.rəns/

    “Therapists watch for transference.”

  11. cathartic/kəˈθɑː.tɪk/

    “Crying can be cathartic.”

  12. post-traumatic/ˌpəʊst trɔːˈmæt.ɪk/

    “He has post-traumatic stress.”

  13. agoraphobia/ˌæɡ.ər.əˈfəʊ.bi.ə/

    “Agoraphobia keeps her indoors.”

  14. obsessive/əbˈses.ɪv/

    “He is obsessive about order.”

  15. delusion/dɪˈluː.ʒən/

    “He suffers from a delusion.”

  16. hallucination/həˌluː.sɪˈneɪ.ʃən/

    “The fever caused a hallucination.”

  17. paranoid/ˈpær.ə.nɔɪd/

    “She became paranoid.”

  18. dissociation/dɪˌsəʊ.siˈeɪ.ʃən/

    “Trauma can cause dissociation.”

  19. perceptual/pəˈsep.tʃu.əl/

    “It is a perceptual illusion.”

  20. behaviourism/bɪˈheɪ.vjə.rɪ.zəm/

    “Behaviourism studies responses.”

  21. instinctive/ɪnˈstɪŋk.tɪv/

    “Her reaction was instinctive.”

  22. innate/ɪˈneɪt/

    “He has an innate sense of rhythm.”

  23. predisposition/ˌpriː.dɪs.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/

    “He has a predisposition to worry.”

  24. subliminal/sʌbˈlɪm.ɪ.nəl/

    “Adverts use subliminal cues.”

  25. stimuli/ˈstɪm.jə.laɪ/

    “The brain processes many stimuli.”

  26. self-deception/ˌself dɪˈsep.ʃən/

    “It is pure self-deception.”

  27. esteem/ɪˈstiːm/

    “She is held in high esteem.”

  28. validation/ˌvæl.ɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/

    “He craves validation.”

  29. reassurance/ˌriː.əˈʃɔː.rəns/

    “She needs constant reassurance.”

  30. apathy/ˈæp.ə.θi/

    “Voter apathy is a problem.”

  31. lethargy/ˈleθ.ə.dʒi/

    “A wave of lethargy hit him.”

  32. inertia/ɪˈnɜː.ʃə/

    “Inertia kept him in the job.”

  33. complacency/kəmˈpleɪ.sən.si/

    “Success bred complacency.”

  34. indecision/ˌɪn.dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/

    “His indecision cost him.”

  35. volition/vəˈlɪʃ.ən/

    “She left of her own volition.”

  36. compulsive/kəmˈpʌl.sɪv/

    “He is a compulsive liar.”

  37. impulsivity/ˌɪm.pʌlˈsɪv.ɪ.ti/

    “Impulsivity got him in trouble.”

  38. equilibrium/ˌiː.kwɪˈlɪb.ri.əm/

    “She regained her equilibrium.”

  39. disorientation/dɪsˌɔː.ri.enˈteɪ.ʃən/

    “Jet lag causes disorientation.”

  40. preoccupation/priˌɒk.jəˈpeɪ.ʃən/

    “Money is his main preoccupation.”

  41. fixation/fɪkˈseɪ.ʃən/

    “She has a fixation on tidiness.”

  42. extroversion/ˌek.strəˈvɜː.ʃən/

    “Sales rewards extroversion.”

  43. neurotic/njʊəˈrɒt.ɪk/

    “He is rather neurotic.”

  44. melancholic/ˌmel.ənˈkɒl.ɪk/

    “She has a melancholic streak.”

  45. demeanour/dɪˈmiː.nə/

    “She has a calm demeanour.”

  46. countenance/ˈkaʊn.tɪ.nəns/

    “A smile lit up his countenance.”

  47. gut feeling/ˌɡʌt ˈfiː.lɪŋ/

    “Trust your gut feeling.”

  48. subconsciously/ˌsʌbˈkɒn.ʃəs.li/

    “She subconsciously mirrored him.”

  49. ingrained/ɪnˈɡreɪnd/

    “The habit is deeply ingrained.”

  50. conditioned/kənˈdɪʃ.ənd/

    “We are conditioned to obey.”

  51. self-conscious/ˌself ˈkɒn.ʃəs/

    “He felt self-conscious on stage.”

  52. psychosomatic/ˌsaɪ.kəʊ.səˈmæt.ɪk/

    “The pain may be psychosomatic.”

  53. vent/vent/

    “He needs to vent his anger.”

  54. soothe/suːð/

    “Music can soothe the nerves.”

  55. unnerve/ʌnˈnɜːv/

    “The silence began to unnerve her.”

  56. disconcert/ˌdɪs.kənˈsɜːt/

    “His stare can disconcert people.”

  57. embolden/ɪmˈbəʊl.dən/

    “Such wins can embolden him.”

  58. demoralise/dɪˈmɒr.əl.aɪz/

    “Defeats can demoralise a team.”

  59. exhilarate/ɪɡˈzɪl.ə.reɪt/

    “Speed seems to exhilarate him.”

  60. steel/stiːl/

    “She had to steel herself for the news.”