habit

habit

In psychology, any regularly repeated behaviour that requires little or no thought and is learned rather than innate. Some habits (e.g., tying a shoelace) may conserve higher mental processes for more demanding tasks, but others promote behavioral inflexibility or are unhealthy. Five methods are commonly used to break unwanted habits: replacing the old response with a new one, repeating the behaviour until it becomes unpleasant, separating the individual from the stimulus that prompts the response, habituation, and punishment.

---

habit

1. Psychol a learned behavioural response that has become associated with a particular situation, esp one frequently repeated

2. Botany Zoology the method of growth, type of existence, behaviour, or general appearance of a plant or animal

3. Crystallog short for crystal habit

---

habit [′hab·ət]

(crystallography)

crystal habit

(psychology)

A repetitious behavior pattern.