Anal retentive
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The term anal retentive (also anally retentive), commonly abbreviated to anal, is used conversationally to describe a person with such attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others, and can be carried out to the detriment of the anal-retentive person. The term derives from Freudian psychoanalysis.
[edit] Origins
In the psychology of Freud, the anal stage is said to follow the oral stage of infant/early-childhood development. This is a time when an infant's attention moves from oral stimulation to anal stimulation (usually the bowels but occasionally the bladder), usually synchronous with learning to control their excretory functions, a time of toilet training. Freud theorized that children who experience conflicts during this period of time may develop "anal" personality traits, namely those associated with a child's efforts at excretory control: orderliness, stubbornness, a compulsion for control,[1] as well as a generalized interest in collecting, possessing, and retaining objects.[2]
If these qualities continue into later life, they are said to be "anal retentive". Conversely, those who reject anal characteristics are said to have "anal expulsive" personality types. Some[who?] believe this to be a mild expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.[citation needed]
Although Freud's theories on early childhood have been influential on the psychological community, research suggests that the overall pattern of parental attitudes has a much more concrete effect on how an infant will grow up. There is no conclusive research linking anal stage conflicts with anal personality types.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Anal-retentive". WordNet 3.0. Princeton University. 2006. http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=anal%20retentive. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
- ^ Hall, Calvin S. (1954). A Primer of Freudian Psychology. New York: New American Library. pp. 108. ISBN 0452011833.
- ^ Berger, Kathleen (2000). The Developing Person. New York: Worth Publishers. pp. 218. ISBN 1-57259-417-9.
