spoonerism

n. a slip of the tongue in which two sound elements (usually initial consonants) are unintentionally transposed, resulting in an utterance with a different and often amusing sense. For example, a person might say sons of toil instead of tons of soil. [W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), British academic noted for slips of this kind]

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Psychology term of the day

November 16th 2024

antilibidinal ego

in the object relations theory of British psychoanalyst W. Ronald D. Fairbairn (1889–1964), the portion of the ego structure that is similar to Sigmund Freud’s superego. The antilibidinal ego constitutes a nonpleasure-gratifying, self-deprecatory, or even hostile self-image; it is posited to develop out of the unitary ego present at birth when the infantile libidinal ego (similar to the id) experiences deprivation at the hands of the parent and the infant suppresses his or her frustrated needs. Also called internal saboteur. See Fairbairnian theory.