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

English

Etymology

From automaton + -ism.

Pronunciation

• a UK /ɔːˈtɒmətɪzəm/

Noun

1. Acting automatically or involuntarily.
2. An action performed subconsciously, without any apparent direction from the mind; a thought which appears spontaneously in one's consciousness.
   • 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Folio Society 2008, p. 200:

     generalising this phenomenon, Mr Myers has given the name of automatism, sensory or motor, emotional or intellectual, to this whole sphere of effects, due to ‘uprushes’ into the ordinary consciousness of energies originating in the subliminal parts of the mind.

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

Automatism may refer to:

• Automatic behavior, spontaneous verbal or motor behavior
• Automatism (toxicology), when an individual repeatedly takes a medication because the individual forgets previous doses, potentially leading to a drug overdose
• Surrealist automatism, an art technique
• Automatism (law), a defence to liability. See also Automatism (case law)
• Automatic behavior, an act performed unconsciously. Defendants have been found innocent due to an automatism defense (i.e., homicide while sleepwalking).*sited from the forensic psychology dictionary which can be found at the following web adress- http://www.uplink.com.au/lawlibrary/Documents/Docs/Doc20.html

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