anancasm
an·an·casm
(an'an-kazm), Any form of repetitious stereotyped behavior that, if prevented, results in anxiety.
[G. anankasma, compulsion]
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
anancasm
An obsolete term for ritualistic act or sequence of acts performed by a person with obsessive-compulsive neurosis.Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive
Repetition and accumulation are the rhizomes of his work: "There's no telling how much green / is buried under this green / nor how much rain under this rain / many are the infinities ..." For Zanzotto--like Ammons, probably his closest American counterpart--life is an "
anancasm" of seeing and ideating, which the poet breaks down to its constituent elements.
The other two modes are evolution by chance (tychasm) and evolution by mechanical necessity (
anancasm).
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