secondary drive

a learned drive; that is, a drive that is developed through association with or generalization from a primary drive. For example, in an avoidance conditioning experiment in which a rat must go from one compartment into another to escape an electric shock, the secondary drive is fear of the shock and the primary drive with which it is associated is avoidance of pain. Also called acquired drive.

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Psychology term of the day

December 26th 2024

false self

in the object relations theory of British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott (1896–1971), the self that develops as a defense against impingements and in adaptation to the environment. This contrasts with the true self, which develops in an environment that adapts to the infant and allows him or her to discover and express true impulses.