paralogia

n. insistently illogical or delusional thinking and verbal expression, sometimes observed in schizophrenia. Eugen Bleuler cited the example of a patient who justified his insistence that he was Switzerland by saying “Switzerland loves freedom. I love freedom. I am Switzerland.” Also called paralogical thinking; perverted logic; perverted thinking. See also evasion.

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Psychology term of the day

February 22nd 2025

Gesellschaft

n. a type of society (the literal meaning of this German word) or social group in which people feel relatively isolated from each other. Their relationships are primarily contractual in nature, being guided chiefly by rational self-interest and the logic of the marketplace. Compare Gemeinschaft. [first described in 1887 by German sociologist Ferdinand Julius Tönnies (1855–1936)]