anal-aggressive personality

in the classical psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, a personality type characterized by obstinacy, obstructionism, defiance, and passive resistance. Such traits are held to stem from the anal stage, in which the child asserted himself or herself by withholding feces. Also called anal-aggressive character. See also anal personality; anal sadism; anal-sadistic phase.

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Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

perceptual constancy

the phenomenon in which an object or its properties (e.g., size, shape, color) appear unchanged despite variations in the stimulus itself or in the external conditions of observation, such as object orientation or level of illumination. Examples of perceptual constancy include brightness constancy, color constancy, shape constancy, and size constancy.