Word: pathological (adjective)

Associations

"Pathological" often relates to disease or abnormal conditions, especially in medicine. It describes something caused by or involving a physical or mental illness. It can also mean extreme or unreasonable behavior, like "pathological liar," someone who lies a lot and cannot stop.

Examples:

• Pathological condition: A disease or illness found in the body.
• Pathological liar: A person who lies frequently and uncontrollably.
• Pathological fear: An extreme, unreasonable fear that affects daily life.

Synonym: "abnormal" can sometimes replace "pathological," but "pathological" usually implies a medical or psychological cause, while "abnormal" just means not normal or usual.

Substitution

Instead of "pathological," you can use:

• Medical context: "disease-related," "clinical"
• Behavior context: "compulsive," "habitual," "extreme" Changing the word changes the focus: "compulsive liar" means someone who can't help lying, but "pathological liar" suggests a deeper psychological problem.

Deconstruction

• Root: "patho-" comes from Greek "pathos," meaning suffering or disease.
• Suffix: "-logical" relates to "logos," meaning study or science. So, "pathological" literally means "related to the study of disease or suffering."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a behavior you know that might be called pathological?
• How would you explain the difference between a normal fear and a pathological fear?
• Have you ever heard of "pathological" used outside of medicine? In what situations?