retrogression

n. the return to a previous inappropriate behavior or to a behavior appropriate to an earlier stage of maturation when more adult approaches fail to solve a conflict. It is approximately equivalent to regression but without the full psychoanalytic connotations.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

divergent thinking

creative thinking in which an individual solves a problem or reaches a decision using strategies that deviate from commonly used or previously taught strategies. This term is often used synonymously with lateral thinking. Compare convergent thinking. [defined in 1967 by Joy Paul Guilford]