Idiosyncrasy is a peculiar behavior characteristic of an individual or of certain group.
The term has several meanings, varying according to the context in which it is used, and it is also possible to apply it to symbols that mean something to a particular person.
Idiosyncrasy is responsible for creating stereotypes in the case of social groups. For example, saying that all Brazilians like football and samba, as a particular characteristic of the people, is an idiosyncrasy of Brazilians.
However, there are Brazilians who do not like football or samba and are considered Brazilians for that.
Etymologically, idiosyncrasy arose from the Greek idiosyncrasy, which means “particular temperament”.
In economics, idiosyncrasy is part of the so-called portfolio theory, when there are risks of price changes due to special circumstances in certain cases.
In religion, idiosyncrasy is the strange or unusual behavior of people of a certain religious doctrine, for example.
Observational comedy is very much based on idiosyncrasies, because the details of the conduct of certain individuals can be quite funny.
Idiosyncrasy in medicine
Idiosyncrasy in medicine refers to the way doctors defined diseases in the 19th century, that is, each disease was related to each patient, and not in biological and scientific evidence as it happens at the moment.
In psychiatry the term is a specific mental condition of a patient, and in psychoanalysis it is used to refer to how individuals react to, perceive and experience a common situation.
Idiosyncrasy and Pharmacology
Idiosyncrasy may be related to pharmacology, as it represents a particular individual reaction to a therapeutic agent.
Idiosyncrasy is a congenital constitutional hypersensitivity that certain individuals exhibit when exposed to certain substances. For example, pollen in predisposed individuals can cause hay fever (allergic reaction).
Synonyms for idiosyncrasy
- Disposition
- Condition
- Temperament
- spell
- Behavior
- Feature
- particularity
- Allergy
- hypersensitivity
- Peculiarity