# Anal Retention **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 17, 2000, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-retention/439 "2000-01-17T01:03:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![perkitl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de053/32.png) [@perkitl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perkitl)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-retention/439/1 "2000-01-17T01:03:00Z")
Does anyone know what anal retention is? ---
**Author:** ![JonF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JonF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonF)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-retention/439/2 "2000-01-17T01:30:00Z")
It’s a term from psychology, referring to people who are overly concerned about getting **everything just right**. Monica on “Friends” is anal-retentive. * * * jrf ---
**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-retention/439/3 "2000-01-17T05:24:00Z")
Yeah, I think Sigmund Freud came up with the concept. He considered that certain personality traits are derived from toilet training. The anal-retentive type is meticulous and stingy, since in theory they were punished for making messes when they were kids. The anal-expulsive type, the one that nobody’s heard of for some reason, is gregarious and generous, since they were never punished for making messes. They are also somewhat more ambitious I think. They are more willing to take risks and don’t fear failure so much. I don’t know if this is taken seriously as psychology any more, but the term anal-retentive (or its short form “anal”, which I find very irritating) has certainly achieved currency in pop psychology. I think the concept of anal-expulsion (albeit not the term) has some currency as well, in colloquial speech. When someone is “talking shit” at a party, not caring that they are making a fool of themself and annoying all the anal-retentive people, they are being anal-expulsive. “Hey, I know all about that subject, and I’ll tell you everything since I am so great and can do no wrong.” You know the type? ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-retention/439/4 "2000-01-17T07:06:00Z")
This doesn’t appear to relate to a Cecil column, so I’m gonna move it to General Questions. Jill