The idea of latency refers in all its aspects to the period of time that elapses between the cause or stimulus of something and the external evidence that is produced. In other words, it is the time period in which something is hidden and hidden, that is, it remains latent.
Latency from the perspective of medicine
If we put ourselves in the context of diseases, most of them have a latency period. In this sense, it must be remembered that many diseases are asymptomatic, which implies that they exist in the body but that the individual who suffers them does not perceive obvious symptoms, since the disease is in its incubation period, that is, latency. This is what happens with some infections (for example, HIV, in which the virus remains in a resting state for a long time).
Latency from the perspective of psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud is the father of psychoanalysis and addressed the question of the latency period in relation to the evolutionary development of sexuality. For Freud, the latency period is the intermediate stage between two levels, specifically between the stage of birth and the appearance of the Oedipus complex and, on the other hand, puberty. Between both stages, sexuality remains hidden and, consequently, it is in this period where latency occurs. We could affirm that in this phase infantile sexuality slows down, something that according to psychoanalysis occurs as a consequence of sexual repression.
Latent problems
In everyday life it is stated with some frequency that a problem is latent, implying that there is a discomfort but that it is not appreciable at first glance. Let's take a simple example: prolonged driving. If someone drives for many hours continuously, apparently there is no problem, but latently the body accumulates fatigue and this can trigger a traffic accident.
Network latency
In the field of computing, the term latency is applied to the time that elapses between an order and the specific response to it. Thus, we speak of latency times, which is a waiting phase, which is related to the memory of the programming. It should be noted that if we talk about computer viruses, they have a variable latency time, as happens with viruses that cause infections in living organisms.
Photos: iStock - SIphotography / Eva-Katalin
