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complementarity

n.

1. the quality of a relationship between two people, objects, or situations such that the qualities of one supplement or enhance the different qualities of the others.

2. in any dyadic relationship, the existence of different personal qualities in each of the partners that contribute a sense of completeness to the other person and provide balance in the relationship. Certain behaviors or traits tend to elicit the complementary behaviors or traits from partners (e.g., dominance often is followed by submission, and vice versa). Complementarity is an important factor in building rapport and the therapeutic relationship in psychotherapy because it reduces anxiety, preserves self-concept, and reinforces the interaction pattern. —complementary adj.

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Psychology term of the day

March 29th 2024

oral personality

oral personality

in classical psychoanalytic theory, a pattern of personality traits derived from fixation at the oral stage of psychosexual development. If the individual has experienced sufficient sucking satisfaction and adequate attention from the mother during the oral-sucking phase, he or she is posited to develop an oral-receptive personality marked by friendliness, optimism, generosity, and tolerance of dependency on others, allowing the individual to move on to late stages of psychosexual development. If the individual does not get enough satisfaction during the sucking and biting phases (see oral-biting phase), he or she is posited to develop an oral-aggressive personality marked by tendencies to be hostile, critical, envious, and exploitative. Also called oral character. [identified by German psychoanalyst Karl Abraham (1877–1925)]