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307:(1887–1964) wrote that eccentricity is "often a kind of innocent pride", also saying that geniuses and aristocrats are called eccentrics because "they are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd". Eccentricity is also associated with great wealth — what would be considered signs of insanity in a poor person, some may accept as eccentricity in wealthy people.
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According to Weeks' study, there are several distinctive characteristics that often differentiate a healthy eccentric person from a regular person or someone who has a mental illness. The first five characteristics on Weeks' list are found in most people regarded as eccentric:
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in 1551 as an astronomical term meaning "a circle in which the earth, sun, etc. deviates from its center." Five years later, in 1556, an adjective form of the word was used. In 1685, the definition evolved from the literal to the figurative, and
303:(1806–1873) wrote that "the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour, and moral courage which it contained", and mourned a lack of eccentricity as "the chief danger of the time".
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Many individuals may even manifest eccentricities consciously and deliberately in an attempt to differentiate themselves from societal norms or enhance a sense of inimitable identity. Given the overwhelmingly positive stereotypes (at least in
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behavior, the nearly universal means by which individuals in society solve given problems and pursue certain priorities in everyday life. People who consistently display benignly eccentric behavior are labeled as "eccentrics".
390:) often associated with eccentricity, as detailed above, certain individuals seek to be associated with this sort of character type. However, this is not always successful as eccentric individuals are not necessarily
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is noted to have begun being used to describe unconventional or odd behavior. A noun form of the word – a person who possesses and exhibits these unconventional or odd qualities and behaviors – appeared by 1832.
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341:" rather than geniuses. Eccentric behavior is often considered whimsical or quirky, although it can also be strange and disturbing. Many individuals previously considered merely eccentric, such as
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Eccentrics may or may not comprehend the standards for normal behavior in their culture. They are simply unconcerned by society's disapproval of their habits or beliefs.
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are incomprehensible not because they are illogical or the result of madness, but because they stem from a mind so original that it cannot be conformed to
331:" situation is not, by the strictest definition, an eccentric since (presumably) they may be ordinary by the conventions of their native environment.
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Evidence of whimsically eccentric behavior: large cabbage leaves purposefully and humorously placed on a neat row of traffic cones in the
410:
believes people with a mental illness suffer from their behavior, while eccentrics are quite happy. He even opines that eccentrics are
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or collections they pursue with great vigor. They may have a pedantic and precise manner of speaking, intermingled with inventive
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on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably
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283:. People may perceive the individual's eccentric behavior as the outward expression of their unique
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626:"Mill, John Stuart quote – Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character"
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Weeks also lists characteristics that some, but not all, eccentric people may exhibit:
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from 1991 to 2006, was known for imposing his personal eccentricities upon the country.
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and the individual in question may simply be dismissed by others as just
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Noncompetitive, not in need of reassurance or reinforcement from society
374:. Many of these behaviors share the characteristics of someone with an
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710:"Quote by Edith Sitwell: Eccentricity is not, as some would believe..."
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791:"Interview with David Weeks – "Nutrition Health Review", Winter, 1996"
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594:"Einstein, eccentric genius, smoked butts picked up off street"
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Happily obsessed with one or more hobbies (usually five or six)
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351:, have recently been retrospectively diagnosed as having had
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Not interested in the opinions or company of other people
657:(2 ed.). London: John W.Parker & Son. pp.
378:, such as the eccentric hobbies or the pedantic speech.
32:"Quirky" and "Wacky" redirect here. For other uses, see
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Unusual in their eating habits and living arrangements
29:
Unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual
287:or creative impulse. In this vein, the eccentric's
243:
235:
227:
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73:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
739:. University of California Press. pp. 48–49.
628:. Quotationsbook.com. 30 July 2007. Archived from
451:Aware from early childhood that they are different
1538:
793:. Findarticles.com. 2 June 2009. Archived from
827:
771:Eccentrics: A study of Sanity and Strangeness
337:Some eccentrics are pejoratively considered "
724:
414:prone to mental illness than everyone else.
362:Other people may have an eccentric taste in
152:, a Swiss eccentric with her characteristic
834:
820:
1295:Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder
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311:Comparison to considerations of normality
133:Learn how and when to remove this message
539:Saparmurat Niyazov § Cult of personality
314:
159:
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14:
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731:Battaglia, Debbora (3 February 1995).
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271:Eccentricity is often associated with
253:first appeared in English essays as a
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769:Weeks, David and James, Jamie (1995)
508:English Eccentrics and Eccentricities
1283:Right-wing authoritarian personality
760:
650:
606:from the original on 8 February 2009
71:adding citations to reliable sources
42:
483:Usually the eldest or an only child
24:
592:Stares, Justin (6 November 2005).
401:
194:. Eccentricity is contrasted with
25:
1573:
690:from the original on 4 April 2010
684:"Famous John Stuart Mill Quotes"
544:Schizotypal personality disorder
47:
58:needs additional citations for
1278:Authoritarian leadership style
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1183:Social construction of gender
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357:obsessive–compulsive disorder
327:A person who is simply in a "
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1178:Rally 'round the flag effect
502:Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou
225:, "out of the center", from
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82:"Eccentricity" behavior
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1381:Asch conformity experiments
1098:Identification (psychology)
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1396:Stanford prison experiment
1138:Normative social influence
651:Mill, John Stuart (1859).
477:Mischievous sense of humor
376:autistic spectrum disorder
31:
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1345:Normalization of deviance
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1273:Authoritarian personality
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568:"Definition of ECCENTRIC"
323:neighborhood of Toronto.
1355:Preference falsification
737:Rhetorics of self-making
549:Thinking outside the box
1547:Eccentricity (behavior)
1017:Tyranny of the majority
686:. Philosophy Paradise.
277:intellectual giftedness
186:) is an unusual or odd
34:Quirky (disambiguation)
1320:Communal reinforcement
1073:False consensus effect
671:editions:HMraC_Owoi8C.
534:Personality psychology
514:Foolishness for Christ
432:Strongly motivated by
324:
176:
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38:Wacky (disambiguation)
1424:Anti-social behaviour
1419:Anti-authoritarianism
1158:Pluralistic ignorance
1005:National conservatism
1000:Left-wing nationalism
983:Governmental pressure
318:
163:
148:
1557:Deviance (sociology)
1386:Breaching experiment
1173:Operant conditioning
1118:Mere exposure effect
388:fictional characters
386:and especially with
67:improve this article
1266:Individual pressure
1143:Passing (sociology)
1078:Fear of missing out
1043:Closure (sociology)
957:Enemy of the people
797:on 19 November 2004
599:The Daily Telegraph
572:merriam-webster.com
1434:Civil disobedience
1391:Milgram experiment
1330:Creeping normality
1232:Social integration
1168:Psychosocial issue
1108:Invented tradition
962:Enemy of the state
632:on 1 February 2010
359:in Hughes' case).
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177:
165:Saparmurat Niyazov
158:
1534:
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1414:Alternative media
1303:
1302:
1242:Spiral of silence
1113:Memory conformity
1053:Consensus reality
946:Persona non grata
867:Damnatio memoriae
746:978-0-520-08799-6
733:"On Eccentricity"
529:Keep Austin Weird
396:seeking attention
329:fish out of water
143:
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16:(Redirected from
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1459:Devil's advocate
1429:Auto-segregation
1325:Countersignaling
1252:Toxic positivity
1227:Social influence
1188:Social contagion
1033:Bandwagon effect
990:Authoritarianism
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406:Psychologist
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56:This article
54:
50:
45:
44:
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35:
27:
19:
1506:Pueblo clown
1491:Idiosyncrasy
1476:Eccentricity
1475:
1360:Social proof
1068:Echo chamber
1048:Collectivism
1038:Brainwashing
969:Scapegoating
952:Public enemy
944:
935:
899:Blacklisting
886:
865:
858:Proscription
799:. Retrieved
795:the original
785:
773:, Villiard,
770:
750:. Retrieved
736:
726:
714:. Retrieved
704:
692:. Retrieved
678:
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665:14 September
663:. Retrieved
653:
646:
634:. Retrieved
630:the original
620:
610:27 September
608:. Retrieved
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575:. Retrieved
571:
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519:Idiosyncrasy
506:
497:Byronic hero
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285:intelligence
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249:, "center".
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180:Eccentricity
179:
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173:Turkmenistan
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65:Please help
60:verification
57:
26:
1562:Stereotypes
1526:Shock value
1481:Eclecticism
1374:Experiments
995:Nationalism
931:Civil death
850:Enforcement
752:10 November
486:Bad speller
460:Opinionated
455:Intelligent
408:David Weeks
392:charismatic
297:utilitarian
212:eccentricus
192:maladaptive
154:ear trumpet
1541:Categories
1315:Compliance
1308:Conformity
1208:Hysterical
1198:Behavioral
1163:Propaganda
1148:Patriotism
1083:Groupthink
909:Censorship
888:Homo sacer
843:Conformity
654:On Liberty
602:. London.
577:25 January
555:References
439:Idealistic
321:Dovercourt
295:. English
281:creativity
267:Depictions
184:quirkiness
123:March 2023
93:newspapers
18:Eccentrics
1511:Rebellion
1469:Political
1350:Obedience
1220:Emotional
1193:Addiction
937:Vogelfrei
894:Ostracism
877:Dissenter
873:Dissident
712:Goodreads
464:outspoken
434:curiosity
260:eccentric
255:neologism
251:Eccentric
221:ekkentros
203:Etymology
1516:Red team
1454:Deviance
974:Shunning
801:12 March
716:19 April
694:12 March
688:Archived
636:12 March
604:Archived
491:See also
428:Creative
372:wordplay
343:aviation
299:thinker
188:behavior
169:dictator
156:and hat.
1464:Dissent
1247:Teasing
1213:Suicide
1128:Mobbing
921:Outcast
368:hobbies
364:clothes
346:magnate
245:kentron
107:scholar
1521:Satire
1486:Hermit
1088:Hazing
926:Outlaw
777:
743:
480:Single
339:cranks
289:habits
273:genius
196:normal
109:
102:
95:
88:
80:
1203:Crime
1063:Dogma
882:Exile
279:, or
216:Greek
207:From
114:JSTOR
100:books
803:2010
775:ISBN
754:2010
741:ISBN
718:2010
696:2010
667:2014
661:–121
638:2010
612:2006
579:2023
462:and
412:less
86:news
36:and
659:120
233:-,
171:of
69:by
1543::
875:/
762:^
735:.
669:.
596:.
570:.
398:.
275:,
237:ex
229:ek
835:e
828:t
821:v
805:.
756:.
720:.
698:.
640:.
614:.
581:.
355:(
136:)
130:(
125:)
121:(
111:·
104:·
97:·
90:·
63:.
40:.
20:)
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