stereotypy

[ ster-ee-uh-tahy-pee, steer- ]

noun

1. the stereotype process.
2. Also called stereotyped behavior. Psychiatry. persistent mechanical repetition of speech or movement, sometimes occurring as a symptom of schizophrenia, autism, or other mental disorder.

stereotypy

/ ˈstɪər-; ˈstɛrɪəˌtaɪpɪ /

noun

1. the act or process of making stereotype printing plates
2. a tendency to think or act in rigid, repetitive, and often meaningless patterns

Word History and Origins

Origin of stereotypy¹

First recorded in 1860–65; stereotype + -y ³

Example Sentences

At first blush, such spinning might look like a stereotypy, a repeated movement that some animals make when bored.

From Scientific American

For example, one macaque developed "severe behavioural problems" including "stereotypy" - repetitive nervous actions such as rocking - and had to be "euthanised".

From BBC

Virga knew that he wasn’t likely to cure her — she had been prone to stereotypy and anxiety throughout her life.

From New York Times

Licking in giraffes, Virga explained, is often a sign of what behaviorists call a stereotypy: a repetitive or ritualized activity brought on by frustration or confinement, similar to when an impatient person jiggles his or her leg.

From New York Times

The other telltale behavior the researchers saw in the rats, which was so similar to bath-salt-addicted humans, was massive stereotypy – the repetitive behaviors that don’t seem have any goal but continue regardless.

From Forbes