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aggressive-rejected child

in sociometric measures of peer acceptance, a child who is prone to hostile and antagonistic behavior toward, and is actively disliked by, his or her peers. Such children show more conduct-disorder psychopathology and delinquency later in adolescence. Compare withdrawn-rejected child. See also sociometric status.

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Psychology term of the day

November 16th 2024

antilibidinal ego

antilibidinal ego

in the object relations theory of British psychoanalyst W. Ronald D. Fairbairn (1889–1964), the portion of the ego structure that is similar to Sigmund Freud’s superego. The antilibidinal ego constitutes a nonpleasure-gratifying, self-deprecatory, or even hostile self-image; it is posited to develop out of the unitary ego present at birth when the infantile libidinal ego (similar to the id) experiences deprivation at the hands of the parent and the infant suppresses his or her frustrated needs. Also called internal saboteur. See Fairbairnian theory.