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self-extension

n. according to Gordon W. Allport, an early stage in the development of the proprium or self, beginning roughly at age 4 and marked by the child’s emerging ability to incorporate people, objects, and abstractions into the self-concept. Self-extension is the investment of ego in those entities outside of the self with which the individual feels affinity or identification.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

groupthink

groupthink

n. a strong concurrence-seeking tendency that interferes with effective group decision making. Symptoms include apparent unanimity, illusions of invulnerability and moral correctness, biased perceptions of the outgroup, interpersonal pressure, self-censorship, and defective decision-making strategies. Causes are thought to include group cohesion and isolation, poor leadership, and the stress involved in making decisions. [identified by Irving L. Janis]