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Darwinism

n. the theory of evolution by natural selection, as originally proposed by British naturalists Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913). In the 20th century, it was modified, as neo-Darwinism, to account for genetic mechanisms of heredity, particularly the sources of genetic variation upon which natural selection works. See also survival of the fittest.

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Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

Electra complex

Electra complex

the female counterpart of the Oedipus complex, involving the daughter’s love for her father, jealousy toward the mother, and blame of the mother for depriving her of a penis. Although Sigmund Freud rejected the phrase, using the term Oedipus complex to refer to both boys and girls, many modern textbooks of psychology propagate the mistaken belief that Electra complex is a Freudian term. The name derives from the Greek myth of Electra, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who seeks to avenge her father’s murder by persuading her brother Orestes to help her kill Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. [defined by Carl Jung]