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The present communication deals with the study of the (alpha) -relaxation in amorphous polymers using the technique of thermally stimulated depolarization currents. In this context, the physical significance of the so-called compensation point is discussed. Experimental results are compared with the predictions based on the hypothesis of the existence of the compensation point. It is concluded that a strong increase of the activation enthalpy is observed when the glass transition temperature is approached on heating, which is accompanied by a concomitant increase of the activation entropy. This behavior, often called compensation behavior, seems to be a real feature of the (alpha) - relaxation in amorphous polymers. Nevertheless, the compensation point seems to be an artifactual consequence of mathematical manipulation, so that its coordinates, (tau) c, Tc, lack any physical significance and can not be related to any material property.
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