primary identification

in psychoanalytic theory, the first and most basic form of identification, which occurs during the oral stage of psychosexual development when the infant experiences the mother as part of himself or herself. After weaning, the infant begins to differentiate between the self and external reality and then becomes capable of secondary identification. Primary identification is closely tied to oral incorporation. Also called primary narcissistic identification.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

Estes–Skinner procedure

another name for conditioned suppression. [after William K. Estes and B. F. Skinner, who developed the technique in 1941]