ragtags studio central: sarah's random this & that

random means "having no definite aim or purpose," (1655), taken from "at random" (1565), "at great speed" (thus, "carelessly, haphazardly"). In 1980s college student slang, it somehow, and sadly, acquired a distinct sense of "inferior, undesirable." (Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper) Well, okay, fine, Mr. Online Etymology Dictionary person, but THIS is the 21st Century. It's a whole new ball of wax.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

nar·cis·sism



nar·cis·sism
(när'sĭ-sĭz'əm)
  1. Excessive love or admiration of oneself.
  2. A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem.
  3. Erotic pleasure derived from contemplation or admiration of one's own body or self, especially as a fixation on or a regression to an infantile stage of development.
  4. The attribute of the human psyche charactized by admiration of oneself but within normal limits.

[After Narcissus.]

nar'cis·sist n., nar'cis·sis'tic adj., nar'cis·sis'ti·cal·ly adv.