Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


fixation

n.

1. an obsessive preoccupation with a single idea, impulse, or aim, as in an idée fixe.

2. a shortened name for visual fixation.

3. in psychoanalytic theory, the persistence of an early stage of psychosexual development or the inappropriate attachment to an early psychosexual object or mode of gratification, such as anal or oral activity; this fixation limits the person’s ability to negotiate the tasks of later psychosexual stages. —fixate vb.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

March 29th 2024

free radical

free radical

an atom or molecule that has at least one “unpaired” electron in its outer shell. This makes it highly reactive and able to engage in rapid chain reactions that destabilize the molecules around it, thus causing the formation of more free radicals. Free radicals can damage cells and have been implicated in aging, inflammation, and the progression of various pathological conditions, including cancer.