secondary process

secondary process definition - medical

secondary process

noun
In psychoanalysis, the mental process directly related to the functions of the ego and characteristic of conscious and preconscious mental activities, marked by logical thinking and by the tendency to delay gratification by regulation of actions based on instinctual demands.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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