automatism

[ aw-tom-uh-tiz-uhm ]

noun

1. the action or condition of being automatic; mechanical or involuntary action.
2. Philosophy. the doctrine that all activities of animals, or of humans and animals, are entirely controlled by physical or physiological causes in which consciousness takes no part.
3. Physiology. the involuntary functioning of an organic process, especially muscular, without apparent neural stimulation.
4. Psychology.
   1. the performance of an act or actions without the performer's awareness or conscious volition.
   2. such an act, as sleepwalking.
5. a method of producing pictorial art, as paintings and collages, associated chiefly with the dadaists and surrealists, in which the artist strives to allow the impulses of the unconscious to guide the hand in matters of line, color, and structure without the interference of conscious choice.

automatism

/ ɔːˈtɒməˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. the state or quality of being automatic; mechanical or involuntary action
2. law philosophy the explanation of an action, or of action in general, as determined by the physiological states of the individual, admissible in law as a defence when the physiological state is involuntary, as in sleepwalking
3. psychol the performance of actions, such as sleepwalking, without conscious knowledge or control
4. the suspension of consciousness sought or achieved by certain artists and writers to allow free flow of uncensored thoughts

Derived Forms

• auˈtomatist, noun

Other Words From

• au·toma·tist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of automatism¹

First recorded in 1880–85, automatism is from the Greek word automatismós a happening of itself. See automaton, -ism

Example Sentences

There is an automatism to him, a preternatural talent for responding exactly, and briskly, with what is expected.

From The Daily Beast

This automatism should not be checked: it should be recorded.

From Project Gutenberg

Sensory Automatism is the term given by students of psychical research to a centrally initiated hallucination.

From Project Gutenberg

The subject of Automatism has thus far been illustrated by reference to Planchette-writing alone.

From Project Gutenberg

This is often called absent-mindedness; it is also one of the most common and simple forms of automatism.

From Project Gutenberg

These studies and experiments relate to telepathy, automatism, and the action of the subliminal self.

From Project Gutenberg