imperative

1. any demand that is critical or pressing. See categorical imperative; ethical imperative.

2. in psychoanalytic theory, a demand of the superego that represents the commanding voice of parental or social rule and operates on an unconscious level to direct the behavior of the individual.

3. in linguistics, the mood of a verb used to issue commands or make requests, as in Get off! or Please come back. Compare indicative; interrogative; subjunctive.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

perceptual distortion

skewed perceptual experience. Examples include the distorted images produced by dreams or hallucinogenic drugs, geometric illusions (e.g., the Müller-Lyer illusion), visions occurring in states of sensory deprivation or dehydration, and distortions produced by modifying auditory stimuli. Perceptual distortion may also occur as a consequence of acquired brain injury. See also metamorphopsia.