Where did the phrase “anal retentive” come from?
Off the top of my head, I believe it has Freudian roots.
Happy
The Master speaks:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a940211.html
Jeeze, I hit submit too fast.
From what I recall from Adolescent psychology, children have four stages of development: oral, anal, something I forget, and genital.
Rumor has it that if a kid gets too much anal stimulation (not in an abusive way, but rather a overly-clean parent way), they become overly uptight, or anal retentive.
I actually don’t remember if this is from Freud or not, now that I think about it more.
I may be way off base and totally remembering things wrong, and I’m sure more knowledgable Dopers will come along and clean up my mess.
Happy
Yes, it is Freudian, but! The REAL question is how did this phrase mutate to its misused meaning of today? I believe SNL is to blame for running a funny segment on the “anal retentive chef”. Actually, they meant the obsessive chef…which is NOT the same. Yet, I WAG, it just sounds funnier. (Perhaps this is the root of the misunderstanding of the incorrect term for multiple personalities, too?)
Anal retentive people, Freud would claim, we would call “pack rats”, as one example. He would claim these people never developed to pass through Freud’s “anal stage” with success.
- Jinx
The phalic stage (not genital) is the last of three stages of development per Freud’s theories. - Jinx
Yes, it comes from Freud’s theories of development. My advice is to ignore it, unless you’re interested in history. But, to be truthful, I think Freud was really strange, and I’m speaking as someone who actually read his stuff. I don’t remember why I read it. Oh yeah, it was part of a course I took. Anyway, Freud did many good things, but his theory of development wasn’t one of them.
I mean, why does “kewl” = “cool” = “good”, or “bling” = whatever. It’s just a phrase that has melted and morphed into our language.
And here I always thought it was an academic way of saying someone was full of crap.
Well, how 'bout that! My ignorance on the subject has been stamped out. I always just assumed it was a simple reference to sphincter tone, another version of “uptight.” As in, “sorry I acted that way, but (situation x) just makes my ass sew buttonholes.” Never thought about the Freudian connection…
You’re right about the phallic, but the stage I was thinking of (but couldn’t remember) was latency (no fixations), which comes after the phallic stage. Then of course genital fixation kicks in at the onset of puberty.
I’m sure corn was developed enough to ‘pass through’ Freud’s anal stage.
- Bubba.