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naive analysis of action

in attribution theory, a process of reasoning or intuiting by which laypersons determine whether another person (an “actor”) caused a certain action. Also called lay psychology; naive psychology. See correspondent inference theory. [postulated in 1958 by Fritz Heider]

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Psychology term of the day

February 23rd 2025

internal frustration

internal frustration

in classical psychoanalytic theory, denial of gratification of instinctual impulses due to internal factors (e.g., the superego), as opposed to external factors.