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nirvana principle

in classical psychoanalytic theory, the tendency of all instincts and life processes to remove tension and seek the stability and equilibrium of the inorganic state—that is, death. This is the trend of the death instinct, which Sigmund Freud believed to be universal.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

postural aftereffect

postural aftereffect

a change in posture that arises as an aftereffect of prior stimulation. For example, when viewing a moving scene, a person typically leans in the direction of the motion. When viewing ends, body posture returns to a vertical position and then, briefly, leans in the opposite direction.