Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, in the body, through physiological or behavioral change.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • He calls this wear and tear allostatic load, from the term allostasis, a physiological adaptation that attempts to maintain a dynamic balance in a system under pressure from a variety of sources.

    THE MEDICAL NEWS Editors 2010

  • In the biology of the human living system, '' 'allostasis' '' refers to physiological mechanisms that enable the system to adjust to diverse perturbing, stressful, and potentially harmful circumstances, and thereby maintain system viability, specifically through changes in the system's properties, its bodily state — 'adaptation'.

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • This has been called "allostasis" or "stability through change" by Sterling and Eyer

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • This has been called "allostasis" or "stability through change" by Sterling and Eyer

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • In the biology of the human living system, '' 'allostasis' '' refers to physiological mechanisms that enable the system to adjust to diverse perturbing, stressful, and potentially harmful circumstances, and thereby maintain system viability, specifically through changes in the system's properties, its bodily state — 'adaptation'.

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • This has been called "allostasis" or "stability through change" by Sterling and Eyer

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • In the biology of the human living system, '' 'allostasis' '' refers to physiological mechanisms that enable the system to adjust to diverse perturbing, stressful, and potentially harmful circumstances, and thereby maintain system viability, specifically through changes in the system's properties, its bodily state — 'adaptation'.

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • This has been called "allostasis" or "stability through change" by Sterling and Eyer

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • In the biology of the human living system, '' 'allostasis' '' refers to physiological mechanisms that enable the system to adjust to diverse perturbing, stressful, and potentially harmful circumstances, and thereby maintain system viability, specifically through changes in the system's properties, its bodily state — 'adaptation'.

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • In the biology of the human living system, '' '' allostasis '' '' refers to physiological mechanisms that enable the system to adjust beneficially to diverse perturbing, stressful, and potentially harmful external and internal circumstances, and thereby maintain system viability, specifically through changes in the system's properties,

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

Comments

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  • I would be very interested in the antonyms of this word. How does allostatic differ form homeostasis? It's beautifully dynamic word that I'd love to see escape from science and medicine into the world of literature.

    August 19, 2009