HABIT EXTINCTION
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1499 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences |
The spontaneous or willful elimination of a habit.
A habit may spontaneously disappear if it is not more or less frequently reinforced. However, it seems that basic habits acquired early in life never disappear definitively, even if the Template:Ency term is unaware of their survival.
The willful elimination of a habit requires a considerable effort of conscious deconditioning, and retraining if it is to be replaced by another habit. Such a Template:Ency term is generally impossible at the physiological Template:Ency term.
At the psychological and mental Template:Ency term, it is still quite difficult and can be painful as stated by Template:Ency person: “… Any freedom from the bondage of habit must also denote a profound redefinition of the self” (1973, p.275).
The different degree of resistance of habits to Template:Ency term seems to be related to the relative paleontological antiquity of the different Template:Ency term Template:Ency term, as they were formed.
The study of habit formation and extinction in learning Template:Ency term will probably teach us much about habits in Template:Ency term.