The term anal-retentive (or anally retentive, anal retentive) derives from Freudian Psychology, although in common usage the original meaning has been altered. This term is often referred to simply as anal. Anal can mean: Anus, the external opening of the rectum Anal retentive, a person overly uptight or distressed over ordinarily minor problems Anal sex, anal sexual intercourse This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

Common usage

Conversationally, the term is often used to describe a person deemed to be overly obsessed with minor details. Its roots are said to be from the theories of Sigmund Freud. For the film, see The Conversation. ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ...

The term is often used in a derogatory sense 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.

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 (including the bowels and 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] Those whose anal characteristics continue into later life are said to be "anal retentive", or conversely, those who reject anal characteristics are said to have "anal expulsive" personality types. Some believe this to be a mild expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Psychological science redirects here. ... Sigmund Freud His famous couch Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, a movement that popularized the theory that unconscious motives control much behavior. ... The Anal Stage in psychology is the term used by Sigmund Freud to describe the development during the second year of life, in which an childs pleasure and conflict centers are in the anal area. ... The oral stage in psychology is the term used by Sigmund Freud to describe the childs development during the first 18 to 24 months of life, in which an infants pleasure centers are in the mouth. ... Toilet training (or potty training) is the process of weaning a young child off diapers (or nappies in the British Isles and many Commonwealth countries) and training the child to use the toilet for urination and defecation. ... The term anal expulsive refers to a personality trait present in people fixated in the anal stage of psychosexual development. ... OCPD redirects here. ...

Although Freud's theories on early childhood have been influential to 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.^[2]

References

1. ^ Anal-retentive. WordNet 3.0. Princeton University (2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
2. ^ Berger, Kathleen (2000). The Developing Person. New York: Worth Publishers, 218. ISBN 1-57259-417-9. 

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Psychosexual development
• Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
• Oral fixation
• Anal expulsive