Anal Retentive Personality
Definition: An "anal retentive personality" is a term used in psychology to describe a person who is very neat, organized, and sometimes overly careful or controlling. This term comes from a theory in psychoanalysis, which suggests that these personality traits can develop during early childhood, particularly during the phase when a child is being toilet trained.
Usage Instructions: You can use "anal retentive personality" to describe someone who is excessively tidy or who likes to have everything in a specific order. It is often used in a playful or critical way to point out someone’s fussiness or strictness about cleanliness and organization.
Example: - "My friend has such an anal retentive personality; she arranges her books by color and size!"
Advanced Usage: In more advanced discussions, you might encounter the term in psychological contexts or when discussing personality types and behaviors. It can also be used metaphorically in everyday conversation to describe someone who is not just tidy but also rigid or inflexible in their thinking or behavior.
Word Variants: - Anal Retention: Refers to the psychological concept itself, often used in discussions about childhood development. - Anal Expulsive Personality: The opposite of anal retentive, describing someone who is more messy and carefree, stemming from the same developmental stage.
Different Meaning:While "anal retentive" often refers to tidiness and control, it can also sometimes imply that a person is overly critical or uptight about rules and procedures.
Synonyms: - Meticulous - Picky - Fussy - Overly organized - Fastidious
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:While there are no direct idioms or phrasal verbs that include "anal retentive," you might encounter phrases like "to keep a tight ship," which means to manage something very strictly and neatly, similar to how an anal retentive person might operate.
Summary: An "anal retentive personality" refers to someone who is very neat, organized, and sometimes overly controlling. It is a psychological term that has roots in childhood development.