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persona

n. in the analytic psychology of Carl Jung, the public face an individual presents to the outside world, in contrast to more deeply rooted and authentic personality characteristics. This sense has now passed into popular usage. The term is taken from the mask worn by actors in Roman antiquity.

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Psychology term of the day

September 8th 2024

drift

drift

n.

1. a reduction in variation in genetic traits that can occur when sampling from continually smaller groups, such that some traits ultimately become excluded from possibility.

2. a reduction in the reliability of technical instruments orin the accuracy of observers over time. See instrument drift; observer drift.