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hormic psychology

a school of psychology originating in the 1920s that emphasizes goal seeking, striving, and foresight, with instincts serving as the primary motivation for behavior. It is particularly concerned with explaining social psychological phenomena in terms of instinctive behavior. See also purposive psychology; sociobiology; teleology. [introduced by William McDougall]

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Psychology term of the day

November 17th 2024

mother figure

mother figure

1. a person who occupies the mothering role in relation to a child: a mother surrogate.

2. in psychoanalytic theory, a person onto whom the patient transfers feelings and attitudes that he or she had toward the real mother or the primary caregiver. Also called mother substitute.