birth trauma

in psychoanalytic theory, the psychological shock of being born, due to the sudden change from the security of the womb to being bombarded with stimuli from the external world. Sigmund Freud viewed birth as the child’s first anxiety experience and the prototype of separation anxiety. To Austrian psychoanalyst Otto Rank (1884–1939), who first proposed the idea of birth trauma, it was the crucial factor in causing neuroses. The theory was subsequently disproven by infant research. See also primal anxiety; primal trauma.

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Psychology term of the day

January 15th 2025

cochlear implant

an electronic device designed to enable individuals with complete deafness to hear and interpret some sounds, particularly those associated with speech. It consists of a microphone to detect sound, a headpiece to transmit sound, a processor to digitize sound, and a receiver to signal electrodes that are surgically implanted in the cochlea to stimulate the auditory nerve. In contrast to a hearing aid, which amplifies sound, it directly stimulates the auditory nerve.