What does automatism mean?

Definitions for automatism
ɔˈtɒm əˌtɪz əmau·toma·tism

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word automatism.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. automatismnoun

    any reaction that occurs automatically without conscious thought or reflection (especially the undirected behavior seen in psychomotor epilepsy)

Wiktionary

  1. automatismnoun

    Acting automatically or involuntarily.

  2. automatismnoun

    An action performed subconsciously, without any apparent direction from the mind; a thought which appears spontaneously in one's consciousness.

  3. automatismnoun

    A surrealist painting technique whereby one attempts to move the brush, pen etc. without conscious control over it.

  4. Etymology: From automaton + -ism.

ChatGPT

  1. automatism

    Automatism refers to the performance of actions without conscious thought or intention, often triggered by certain conditions or situations. These actions are typically reflexive, habitual or due to a psychological or medical condition. It can also refer to a defense used in criminal law when an individual claims they committed an unlawful act involuntarily. In art, automatism is a method of creating work without conscious control.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Automatismnoun

    the state or quality of being automatic; the power of self-moving; automatic, mechanical, or involuntary action. (Metaph.) A theory as to the activity of matter

Wikidata

  1. Automatism

    Automatism is a rarely used criminal defense. It is one of the mental condition defences that relate to the mental state of the defendant. Automatism can be seen variously as lack of voluntariness, lack of culpability or excuse. Automatism means that the defendant was not aware of his actions when making the particular movements that constituted the illegal act. For example, Esther Griggs in 1858 threw her child out of a first floor window believing that the house was on fire, whilst having a night terror. Brian Thomas strangled his wife in their campervan in a more recent case in Aberporth in an episode of rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, where he dreamed there was an intruder on top of his wife. The defence of automatism is denying that the person was acting in the sense that the criminal law demands. As such it is really a denial-of-proof – the defendant is asserting that the offence is not made out. The prosecution does not have to disprove the defence as is sometimes erroneously reported, for example in the press reports of the trial of Arnold Burton; the prosecution has to prove all the elements of the offence including the voluntary act requirement. Automatism is a defence even against strict liability crimes like dangerous driving, where no intent is necessary.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Automatism

    Automatic, mechanical, and apparently undirected behavior which is outside of conscious control.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of automatism in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of automatism in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of automatism in a Sentence

  1. Bernard De Voto:

    Between the amateur and the professional...there is a difference not only in degree but in kind. The skillful man is, within the function of his skill, a different psychological organization...A tennis player or a watchmaker or an airplane pilot is an automatism but he is also criticism and wisdom.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

automatism#100000#167348#333333

Translations for automatism

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"automatism." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/automatism>.

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