In psychoanalytic theory, the process by which an individual becomes or remains emotionally attached to real or imagined objects or events during early childhood. If the fixations are powerful, resulting from traumatic events, they can lead to immature and inappropriate behaviour. Regression to these events is regarded by some analysts as the basis of certain emotional disorders.
Fixation also describes the alignment and stabilization of fractured bones. Fixation may be external, as with a plaster cast, or internal, using pins, plates, or nails introduced surgically.
n. 1. (in psychoanalysis) a failure of psychological development, in which traumatic events prevent a child from progressing to the next developmental stage. See also psychosexual development. 2. a procedure for the hardening and preservation of tissues or microorganisms to be examined under a microscope. Fixation kills the tissues and ensures that their original shape and structure are retained as closely as possible. It also prepares them for sectioning and staining. The specimens can be immersed in a chemical *fixative or subjected to *freeze drying.
the binding of *complement to the complex that is formed when an antibody reacts with a specific antigen. Because complement is taken up from the serum only when such a reaction has occurred, testing for the presence of complement after mixing a suspension of a known organism with a patient’s serum can give confirmation of infection with a suspected organism. The *Wassermann reaction for diagnosing syphilis is a complement-fixation test.... complement fixation
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