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. psychology
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
automatist (auˈtomatist)
noun
automatism in American English
(ɔˈtɑməˌtɪzəm)
noun
1.
the quality or condition of being automatic
2.
automatic action
3. Philosophy
the theory that the human or animal body is a machine governed by physical laws and that consciousness does not control but only accompanies its actions
4. Physiology
a.
action independent of outside stimulus, as sleepwalking
b.
action not controlled by the will, as the heartbeat
c.
the power of such action
5. Psychology
an automatic or unconscious action, as a tic
6.
free expression of the unconscious mind by releasing it from the control of the conscious