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internal environment

the conditions within the body, including temperature, blood pressure, blood-sugar level, and acid–base balance, as opposed to those in the external environment. The internal environment is maintained in a constant state, as required for the normal functioning of the body’s tissues and organs, by mechanisms of homeostasis. [proposed by Claude Bernard]

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Psychology term of the day

January 31st 2025

Kretschmer typology

Kretschmer typology

a controversial classification of individuals based on a “clear biological affinity” between specific physiques and specific personality tendencies. According to this classification, the short, stocky pyknic type tends to be jovial and subject to mood swings; the frail asthenic type is likely to be introversive and sensitive; the muscular athletic type is usually energetic and aggressive; and the disproportioned dysplastic type presents a combination of traits but tends toward the asthenic. These tendencies were attributed to endocrine secretions. [formulated in the 1920s by German psychiatrist Ernst Kretschmer (1888–1964)]