daimonic

 

From daimon +‎ -ic; from Latin demon (“spirit”), originally from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “a god, goddess, divine power, genius, guardian spirit”). Doublet of demonic.

• (dî-mòn´îk)
• Hyphenation: dai‧mon‧ic

daimonic (comparative more daimonic, superlative most daimonic)

1. In the way of a daimon; befitting a demon; fiendish.
2. Motivated by a spiritual force or genius; inspired.

daimonic (uncountable)

1. (psychology) The unrest that exists in us all which forces us into the unknown, leading to self-destruction and/or self-discovery.
2. (psychology, spirituality, mythology, literature) The journey and transition from innocence to experience; part of the process of individuation.
3. (mythology, literature) The place where light and dark meet.

• Stephen A. Diamond, Ph.D., Anger, Madness, and the Daimonic: The Psychological Genesis of Violence, Evil, and Creativity. Foreword:

  The daimonic (unlike the demonic, which is merely destructive) is as much concerned with creativity as with negative reactions. A special characteristic of the daimonic model is that it considers both creativity on one side, and anger and rage on the other side, as coming from the same source. That is, constructiveness and destructiveness have the same source in human personality. The source is simply human potential.

• 1969, Rollo May, Love and Will, pages 126–130:

  The daimonic needs to be directed and channeled.... Our age is one of transition, in which the normal channels for utilizing the daimonic are denied; and such ages tend to be times when the daimonic is expressed in its most destructive form.

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “demon”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• Rollo May, Love and Will, ISBN 393-01080-5. p. 123-124.

• Dominica