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grief

n. the anguish experienced after significant loss, usually the death of a beloved person. Grief is often distinguished from bereavement and mourning. Not all bereavements result in a strong grief response, and not all grief is given public expression (see disenfranchised grief). Grief often includes physiological distress, separation anxiety, confusion, yearning, obsessive dwelling on the past, and apprehension about the future. Intense grief can become life-threatening through disruption of the immune system, self-neglect, and suicidal thoughts. Grief may also take the form of regret for something lost, remorse for something done, or sorrow for a mishap to oneself.

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Psychology term of the day

July 27th 2024

horizontal–vertical illusion

horizontal–vertical illusion

the misperception that vertical lines are longer than horizontal lines when both are actually the same length. The vertical element of an upper case letter T, for example, looks longer than the cross bar, even when the lengths are identical. See also foreshortening; Helmholtz square illusion.