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existential crisis

1. in existentialism, a crucial stage or turning point at which an individual is faced with finding meaning and purpose in life and taking responsibility for his or her choices. See existential neurosis; existential vacuum.

2. more generally, any psychological or moral crisis that causes an individual to ask fundamental questions about human existence.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

node of Ranvier

node of Ranvier

any of successive regularly spaced gaps in the myelin sheath surrounding an axon. The gaps permit the exchange of ions across the plasma membrane at those points, allowing the nerve impulse to leap from one node to the next in so-called saltatory conduction along the axon. [Louis A. Ranvier (1835–1922), French pathologist]