noumenon

n. (pl. noumena) in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, a thing in itself as contrasted with a thing known through the senses and human understanding (see phenomenon). Although the noumena are the causes of one’s experience, they can never themselves be experienced, as they lie outside time and space; nor can they be apprehended by speculative reason, because the general concepts of quantity, quality, relation, and so forth apply only to phenomena. The ideas of God, freedom, and immortality belong to the noumenal realm but are accessible to human beings through their experience as moral agents. —noumenal adj.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

September 7th 2024

investment model

a theory explaining commitment to a relationship in terms of one’s satisfaction with, alternatives to, and investments in the relationship. According to the model, commitment is a function of not only a comparison of the relationship to the individual’s expectations but also the quality of the best available alternative and the magnitude of the individual’s investment in the relationship; the investment of resources serves to increase commitment by increasing the costs of leaving the relationship. Although originally developed in the context of romantic associations and friendships and used to explain why people stay in abusive relationships, the investment model has since been extended to a variety of other areas, including employment and education. [proposed in 1980 by U.S. social psychologist Caryl E. Rusbult (1952–2010)]