psychobabble
noun

- writing or talk using jargon from psychiatry or psychotherapy without particular accuracy or relevance

(Random House Dictionary)

---
Psychobabble is the use of psychological words, especially buzzwords, by people who are not really using them in their proper context, and/or who don’t have the appropriate education and credentials to accurately use the terms.

The rise in psychobabble can be connected to the earliest diagnostic terms in psychiatry and psychology that were captured by non-professionals and then misused. Self-help books, though they can be useful, have also contributed to psychobabble, since true diagnostic terms are often taken from them and used freely without legitimate diagnosis or confirmation from a psychology professional.

The term dysfunctional, for instance, has almost lost meaning and become one of psychobabble’s strong buzzwords. "I come from a dysfunctional family," could be interpreted in numerous ways, without specifically defining the dysfunction.

OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is another often misused form of psychobabble that can wrongly describe someone who merely takes a keen interest in something (My husband OCD's on football every weekend!)

---
SYNONYMS

pop psych, psychspeak

---
Practice OWAD in a conversation today, say something like:

"I expected new knowledge and insights at the lecture, but only heard a lot of PSYCHOBABBLE."