Control freak is a
colloquialism
Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...
for a person who feels a psychological need to constantly be in charge of things and people around them. A control freak can become
distressed when they feel things are going out of control.
The feel of the need to control is often attributed to the underlying fear of losing control over their lives.
This expression was introduced around the 1960s and it is not a clinical one.
Characteristics
Control freaks tend to have a psychological need to be in charge of things and people – even circumstances that cannot be controlled. The need for control, in extreme cases, stems from deeper psychological issues such as
obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD),
anxiety disorders, or
personality disorders.
Control freaks are often insecure and
perfectionists. Additionally, they may even
manipulate or pressure others to change to avoid having to change themselves. They may have had an overbearing mother or father. Furthermore, control freaks sometimes have similarities to
codependents
In psychology, codependency is a theory that attempts to explain imbalanced Interpersonal relationship, relationships where one person Enabling, enables another person's self-destructive behavior, such as addiction, poor mental health, Maturity ...
, in the sense that the latter's fear of abandonment leads to attempts to control those they are dependent on.
Examples
*
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder o ...
Steve Jobs was a perfectionist who favored the closed system of control over all aspects of a product from start to finish — what he termed the integrated over the fragmented approach. As
Steve Wozniak, his long-term collaborator and occasional critic, put it: "Apple gets you into their
playpen and keeps you there".
*
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
A series of three documentary programs on
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
in the UK in January 2013 called ''Queen Victoria's Children'' argued that Queen Victoria was a pathological control freak by the way she controlled the welfare of all her children.
[Queen Victoria's Children BBC2 January 2013]
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Control Freak
Slang
English phrases
Pejorative terms for people
Power (social and political)
Control (social and political)