dynamic model

in psychoanalytic theory, the view that the psyche can be explained in terms of underlying, unconscious drives and instincts that mold the personality, motivate behavior, and produce emotional disorder. Compare economic model; topographic model. See also metapsychology.

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Psychology term of the day

November 17th 2024

centripetal

adj.

1. directed toward the center. For example, a centripetal nerve carries nerve impulses from the periphery to the central nervous system. Compare centrifugal.

2. characterizing treatment approaches that focus inward on minute changes in feelings and impulses, as in psychoanalysis.