Anal retentiveness

The term anally retentive normally implies that a person is uptight, bothersomely picky, detail-driven, or distressed over ordinarily minor problems. The intended implication is that an anally retentive person needs to "loosen up" a little instead of "holding on to it". This is derived from Freudian terminology.

According to Freud, the 2nd stage of development for a child is the "anal stage" which is characterised by the child deriving pleasure from bowel movements. The child discovers the pleasure which comes from the exercise of power (in this instance the power to hold on or let go).

Freud thought that conflicts with parents and delays during toilet training can cause a person to become fixated on anal control, which later manifests itself as a compulsive concern with order and cleanliness. In this original sense, the term means simply that a person has retained the anal psychosexual stage of development.

This term is not to be confused with the expression "full of shit".