perseveration

[ per-sev-uh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of perseverating.
2. Psychiatry. the pathological, persistent repetition of a word, gesture, or act, often associated with brain damage or schizophrenia.

perseveration

/ pɜːˌsɛvəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the tendency for an impression, idea, or feeling to dissipate only slowly and to recur during subsequent experiences
2. an inability to change one's method of working when transferred from one task to another

Word History and Origins

Origin of perseveration¹

1605–15 in sense “perseverance”; persevere + -ation, or < Latin perseverātiōn-, stem of persevērātiō

Example Sentences

Durvasula added that "stubbornness could be viewed as a form of perseveration, again, an executive function in the brain."

From Salon

Instead, by a principle you might call the perseveration of enmity, a new population stepped in to take up the slack: mostly middle-class Protestants from other suburbs now mixing with ours at a new school.

From New York Times

Your hesitation and his perseveration suggest the emotional health of your marriage warrants a closer look.

From Washington Post

Mr. Bruck seeded his speech with words like “abnormal,” “irrationality,” “senselessness,” “delusional,” “obsession” and “perseveration,” a psychiatric term referring to the uncontrollable repetition of a particular response.

From New York Times

Psychologists call stubborn and irrational persistence in repeating an act or behavior “perseveration,” defined as the attempt to overcome past failures by trying again at the same task.

From Salon

Related Words

• litany
• recurrence
• reiteration
• repeat
• rhythm

More About Perseveration

What does perseveration mean?

Perseveration is the act of repeating something, such as words or actions, over and over again.

Perseveration is used both in a general sense and in the more specific contexts of psychology and speech pathology. In this sense, the act of perseveration is the persistent repetition of a word, gesture, or act. This can be the result of a brain injury or a condition like schizophrenia.

The verb form or perseveration is perseverate.

Example: I’m frustrated by the amount of perseveration it takes just to get the students to follow simple rules.

Where did perseveration come from?

The first records of perseveration come from the 1500s, but it didn’t come to be synonymous with repetition until the 1900s. The term originally meant “resolve” or “determination” and comes from the Latin persevērātiōn-, meaning “perseverance” (which has related roots). The verb perseverate is a back formation of perseveration (which means perseveration came first and part of it was chopped off to make perseverate).

The psychological sense of perseveration is based on a translation of the German term perseverationstendenz. That word was used by German researchers to describe a condition in which a patient obsessively repeats words or actions, such as by zipping a zipper continuously or repeatedly asking the same question despite receiving an answer. This is often caused by a brain injury or by conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, aphasia, schizophrenia, or Parkinson’s disease.

In the context of psychology, perseveration can also be used in a few other specific ways. It can refer to the tendency for an idea or feeling to lessen slowly and to recur during subsequent experiences. It can also refer to the inability to change one’s method of working when transferred from one task to another.

More generally, perseveration is the repetition of something to an excessive or nearly excessive degree, like when you have to keep telling your roommates to stop putting the cereal box back empty.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to perseveration?

• perseverate (verb)
• perseverative (adjective)

What are some words that share a root or word element with perseveration? 

• persevere
• perseverance
• severe

What are some words that often get used in discussing perseveration?

 

• repeat
• repetition
• redundant
• insistent
• continuous
• persistent
• pathological

What are some words perseveration may be commonly confused with?

• prevaricate

How is perseveration used in real life?

Perseveration is used by medical professionals such as speech pathologists, psychologists, and psychiatrists to describe a specific kind of repetitive behavior. More generally, it’s used as a fancy way of saying that someone keeps saying the same thing over and over, but this use is fairly uncommon.

. @rickklein there are so many important issues in the US and World. The media’s constant perseveration on one story is maddening.

— Dan in Boulder (@danmclellan) March 15, 2015

The Committee should be forewarned that all #MichaelCohen will give is a perseveration of, "Says who? Says who? Says who?" https://t.co/X84mbZAvCh

— Welcome Back Trotter (@TrotDarrow) September 19, 2017

I don't think Bernie's perseveration on his issue is helping him tonight. #DEMdebate

— Time for a full factory reset 🌊 (@dweinberger) March 7, 2016

 

 

 

Try using perseveration!

Is perseverate used correctly in the following sentence?

The patient has been observed repeating certain gestures, and this perseveration is thought to be a symptom of the brain injury.