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contamination obsession

an intense preoccupation with disease, dirt, germs, mud, excrement, sputum, and so forth, based on a feeling that the world is disgusting, decaying, and dying. It is a frequent symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and, in extreme cases, it is regarded as a symptom of schizophrenia.

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Psychology term of the day

March 17th 2025

dominance–subordination

dominance–subordination

a form of social relationship within groups with a leader or dominant member who has priority of access to resources over other, subordinate members of the community. Among nonhuman animals, dominance–subordination relationships are highly organized in troops of baboons, in which dominant males have more access to food resources and mates than do subordinate males and all males often appear to have dominance over females. In hyena groups, the relationship is reversed, with males subordinate to females.