identity need

in the theory of Erich Fromm, the need to achieve a sense of uniqueness, individuality, and selfhood. Psychological autonomy and the severing of incestuous ties are considered essential for healthy individuality. Unhealthy, spurious individuality is expressed in conformity, a manifestation of the escape from freedom. Compare rootedness.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

January 30th 2025

Alström–Hallgren syndrome

a familial disorder that is characterized by obesity, deafness, visual disorders, and diabetes and occasionally associated with mental disorders. [Carl-Henry Alström (1907–1993), Swedish physician; Bertil Hallgren, 20th-century Swedish geneticist]