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mesmerism

n. a therapeutic technique popularized in the late 18th century by Franz Anton Mesmer, who claimed to effect cures through the use of a vitalistic principle that he termed animal magnetism. The procedure involved the application of magnets to ailing parts of a patient’s body and the induction of a trancelike state by gazing into the patient’s eyes, making certain “magnetic passes” over him or her with the hands, and so forth. Variants of mesmerism remained popular for much of the 19th century, when they were gradually superseded by hypnosis. —mesmerist n. —mesmeric adj. —mesmerize vb.

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Psychology term of the day

January 30th 2025

superego

superego

n. in psychoanalytic theory, the moral component of the personality that represents parental and societal standards and determines personal standards of right and wrong, or conscience, as well as aims and aspirations (see ego-ideal). In the classic Freudian tripartite structure of the psyche, the ego, which controls personal impulses and directs actions, operates by the rules and principles of the superego, which stem from parental demands and prohibitions. The formation of the superego occurs on an unconscious level, beginning in the first 5 years of life and continuing throughout childhood and adolescence and into adulthood, largely through identification with the parents and later with admired models of behavior. See also primitive superego.