anal personality

[ (ayn-l) ]

A popular term for “anal retentive personality,” a personality marked by excessive orderliness, extreme meticulousness, and often suspicion and reserve. According to psychoanalysis, an anal personality is formed in early childhood as a result of efforts to control bowel movements. (See anal stage, genital stage, and oral stage; compare oral personality.)

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RELATED WORDS

perfectionist, precisionist

Nearby words

anal fissure, anal fistula, anal intercourse, anal orifice, anal pecten, anal personality, anal phase, anal pit, anal plate, anal reflex, anal retentive

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.