name-of-the-father

adj. in the theory of French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981), denoting the stage at which the infant first enters the realm of the Symbolic. The child’s ability to “name the father” as a symbol for the absence of the mother represents his or her first use of symbolization and the first recognition that the father is a rival. See Oedipus complex. See also mirror phase.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

nonadditive

adj. describing values or measurements that cannot be meaningfully summarized through addition because the resulting total does not correctly reflect the underlying properties of and associations between the component values. For example, if two variables a and b interact to influence another variable y, the addition of the separate effects of a and b will not equal the total effect since the contribution of the interaction needs to be included. Compare additive.