automatism
Acting without awareness
Automatism is action performed without conscious control or awareness.
In psychology, it describes behavior carried out mechanically, as in sleepwalking or seizure states.
In art, automatism refers to techniques that bypass deliberate thought—surrealists used automatic writing and drawing to tap the unconscious: The painting emerged through pure automatism, her hand moving without plan.
In law, automatism can be a defense claiming the accused acted involuntarily.
Ambulatory behavior during slumber
- somnambulismWalking during deep sleep
- tranceSemiconscious, unresponsive condition
- hypnosisInduced trance state
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
fugue · dreaming · subconscious · preconscious · repression · amnesia · psychoanalysis · Freudian
Regular sequence of actions
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
- ingrainedFirmly established by habit
second-nature · repetitive · mechanical · programmed · instinctive · pattern · practice · habituation
Narrative of unfiltered thought
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
- DadaismAbsurdist artistic rebellion
Rapid lid movement
- flinchInvoluntary retreat from threat
- startleFrighten suddenly
- sneezeExplosive nasal reflex
- coughExplosive airway clearing
gag · yawn · shiver · twitch · knee-jerk · swallow · hiccup · breathing
Doctrine of causal necessity
- mechanismMeans by which something operates
- free-willAutonomous decision-making capacity
- volitionCapacity for choice
- agencyPower to act
behaviorism · materialism · consciousness · mind-body · reductionism · causation · libertarianism
Formal clearing of charges
- exculpationClearing from fault
- involuntarinessQuality of being uncontrolled
- duressCoercion through threats
- necessityIndispensable requirement
Forcible taking or convulsion
- epilepsyBrain disorder causing seizures
- lip-smackingExtremely appetizing
- chewingCrushing food orally
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
wandering · neurological · dissociative · aura · convulsion
sleepwalking
Ambulatory behavior during slumber
- somnambulismWalking during deep sleep
- tranceSemiconscious, unresponsive condition
- hypnosisInduced trance state
dissociation · fugue · dreaming · subconscious · preconscious · repression · amnesia · psychoanalysis · Freudian · id
routine
Regular sequence of actions
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
ingrained · second-nature · repetitive · mechanical · programmed · instinctive · pattern · practice · habituation · rote
stream-of-consciousness
Narrative of unfiltered thought
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
- DadaismAbsurdist artistic rebellion
blink
Rapid lid movement
cough · gag · yawn · shiver · twitch · knee-jerk · swallow · hiccup · breathing · heartbeat
determinism
Doctrine of causal necessity
- mechanismMeans by which something operates
- free-willAutonomous decision-making capacity
- volitionCapacity for choice
agency · behaviorism · materialism · consciousness · mind-body · reductionism · causation · libertarianism
acquittal
Formal clearing of charges
- exculpationClearing from fault
- involuntarinessQuality of being uncontrolled
- duressCoercion through threats
seizure
Forcible taking or convulsion
- epilepsyBrain disorder causing seizures
- lip-smackingExtremely appetizing
- chewingCrushing food orally
fumbling · wandering · neurological · dissociative · aura · convulsion
- Modern Artcubism, Cubism, Fauvism, dadaism, Dadaism
- avant-gardeDada, Dadaism, Futurism, Constructivism, Cabaret Voltaire
- Avant-Garde ArtDada, Dadaism, Surrealism, Cubism, Futurism
- seizuresseizure, epileptic, convulsion, fit, attack
- surrealismdreamscapes, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, irrational
- Unconsciousid, ego, superego, repression, dreams
automatismvolition
Capacity for choice
intentionality · voluntary action · self-direction · free will · agency
automatismdeliberation
Careful weighing of choices
mindfulness · contemplation · awareness · presence of mind · concentration
automatismculpability
Deserving blame for wrongdoing
accountability · moral responsibility · mens rea · criminal intent · guilty mind
- automatic doorsEntrances operating without manual effort
- automatic transmissionSelf-changing vehicle gears
- automatic weaponsSelf-cycling firearms
- automatic pilotSelf-guiding navigation system
- automatic response
- automatic rifleSelf-reloading rapid-fire gun
automatic, automation, automatically, automaticity, automatics, automatized