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Originally from the Greek epi (on, upon, on top of) and "genesis" (origin);
the theory that the embryo is not preformed in the ovum or the sperm, but that
it develops gradually by the successive formation of new parts. The
concept has been extended to other areas of medicine, with different shades of
meaning. Some of the other meanings are as follows:
- Any change in an organism that is due to outside influences rather than to
genetically determined ones.
- The occurrence of secondary symptoms as a result of disease.
- Developmental factors, and specifically the gene-environment interactions,
that contribute to development.
- The appearance of new functions that are not predictable on the basis of
knowledge of the part-processes that have been combined.
- The appearance of specific features at each stage of development, such as
the different goals and risks that Erikson described for the eight stages of
human life (trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. doubt, etc.). The life
cycle theory adheres to the epigenetic principle that in each stage of
development is characterized by crises or challenges that must be
satisfactorily resolved if development is to proceed normally.
Source: Edgerton, Jane E. 1994. American Psychiatric Glossary, 7th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press
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