Shrink - Psychiatrist Or/and Psychologist? - WordReference Forums

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You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Shrink - Psychiatrist or/and psychologist?

• Thread starter Thread starter ShaggyVinny
• Start date Start date Apr 30, 2019

S

ShaggyVinny

Senior Member

Lausanne, Switzerland French Dear all, Can the slang word shrink be used to refer to both psychiatrists AND psychologists? After doing a little research on the web, I'm getting conflicting answers. Some people use the word shrink only to refer to psychiatrists. Some people seem to use both "psychiatrist" and "psychologist" interchangeably, even though they are distinct professions, and thus use shrink to refer to either. I've been using shrink when talking about either of these two professions, knowing they are distinct. What would you guys say? Thanks!

The Newt

Senior Member

New England English - US

ShaggyVinny said: Dear all, Can the slang word shrink be used to refer to both psychiatrists AND psychologists? [...] Click to expand...

Used in what? Presumably not in an academic paper. What is the context?

SwissPete

Senior Member

94044 USA Français (CH), AE (California) This is a discussion that could go on forever. noun INFORMAL

1. 1. a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist. "you should see a shrink"

Uncle Jack

Senior Member

Cumbria, UK British English

SwissPete said: noun INFORMAL

1. 1. a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist. "you should see a shrink"

Click to expand...

I think the important word here is "clinical". There are many psychologists who aren't practising clinicians, and these are not "shrinks". P

pob14

Senior Member

Central Illinois American English

Uncle Jack said: There are many psychologists who aren't practising clinicians Click to expand...

This is also true of psychiatrists. Am I the only one who sees “shrink” as an insulting term? I don’t use it.

DonnyB

Moderator Emeritus

Coventry, UK English UK Southern Standard English Oxford Dictionaries define it as: [informal] A psychiatrist, - with the example, ‘you should see a shrink’. It hasn't (yet), in BE, joined the ranks of those terms which it's now politically incorrect to use. S

ShaggyVinny

Senior Member

Lausanne, Switzerland French

DonnyB said: Oxford Dictionaries define it as: [informal] A psychiatrist, - with the example, ‘you should see a shrink’. It hasn't (yet), in BE, joined the ranks of those terms which it's now politically incorrect to use. Click to expand...

Your answer suggests it only refers to psychiatrist, and not psychologists. Yet again, SwissPete's definition gives a broader meaning to the word shrink, which also refers to psychologist and psychotherapists. Could this word be used differently in BrE and AmE?

The Newt

Senior Member

New England English - US You still haven't given us any insight as to how you propose to use the word. Definitions can be applied loosely or strictly depending on the circumstances.

DonnyB

Moderator Emeritus

Coventry, UK English UK Southern Standard English

ShaggyVinny said: Your answer suggests it only refers to psychiatrist, and not psychologists. Yet again, SwissPete's definition gives a broader meaning to the word shrink, which also refers to psychologist and psychotherapists. Could this word be used differently in BrE and AmE? Click to expand...

Possibly. I think whenever I've heard or seen it being used in BE it's meant 'psychiatrist'. However one of the sample sentences accompanying the Oxford Dictionaries definition is ‘You need to consult with a kiddie shrink who will convince your wife that youngsters who call the shots wind up in a not very good place.’ I suspect that there it refers to what would properly be called an educational psychologist.

SwissPete

Senior Member

94044 USA Français (CH), AE (California) Regardless of the definition, I consider the word shrink somewhat derogatory. Am I the only one?

The Newt

Senior Member

New England English - US

SwissPete said: Regardless of the definition, I consider the word shrink somewhat derogatory. Am I the only one? Click to expand...

"Derogatory" may not be quite the word. Disrespectful or irreverent. Not as strong as "quack."

SwissPete

Senior Member

94044 USA Français (CH), AE (California)

The Newt said: "Derogatory" may not be quite the word. Click to expand...

Duly noted. Thank you.

Hermione Golightly

Senior Member

London British English I too think that 'shrink' is a trivialising, facetious, and derogatory term for any sort of mental health professional. U

User With No Name

Senior Member

English (U.S.)

Hermione Golightly said: I too think that 'shrink' is a trivialising, facetious, and derogatory term for any sort of mental health professional. Click to expand...

This may seem strange, but I see the word "shrink" as often more insulting to the patient than to the mental health professional. Especially because it's typically used in statements like "You should see a shrink." First, because the folk etymology of "shrink" is "head shrinker." So somebody who needs to see or is seeing a "shrink" is having their "head shrunk." Second, psychiatrists and psychologists are are generally well-paid, respected professionals with impressive credentials. So I am a little less concerned about their being "dissed" a little bit once in a while in popular speech. That said, I wouldn't use the term today (although I probably did 20 years ago). Oh, and to add my opinion to the original question: I think that here, most people would have trouble giving you a precise description of the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist. So people who use the term "shrink" probably wouldn't distinguish. A

ain'ttranslationfun?

Senior Member

US English Doesn't "psychotherapist" (= "mental health practitioner/professional") include both psychiatrists and psychologists (although only psychiatrists have a medical degree)? "shrink" is, I think, informal if one is not talking to the person in question, who might be slightly uncomfortable being addressed thusly, while realizing that it's as commonly used as, say, "cop" for police officer".

owlman5

Senior Member

Colorado English-US

ain'ttranslationfun? said: Doesn't "psychotherapist" (= "mental health practitioner/professional") include both psychiatrists and psychologists (although only psychiatrists have a medical degree)? "shrink" is, I think, informal if one is not talking to the person in question, who might be slightly uncomfortable being addressed thusly, while realizing that it's as commonly used as, say, "cop" for police officer". Click to expand...

I associate the word "psychotherapist" with the practice of psychoanalysis, ATF. I would be reluctant to use "psychotherapy" in reference to any other type of mental-health therapy. S

ShaggyVinny

Senior Member

Lausanne, Switzerland French

ain'ttranslationfun? said: Doesn't "psychotherapist" (= "mental health practitioner/professional") include both psychiatrists and psychologists (although only psychiatrists have a medical degree)? "shrink" is, I think, informal if one is not talking to the person in question, who might be slightly uncomfortable being addressed thusly, while realizing that it's as commonly used as, say, "cop" for police officer". Click to expand...

In my country (Switzerland), a psychologist is a mental health practitioner who has a masters degree in psychology. A psychotherapist is a psychologist who has gone through more advanced training (including many hours of personal therapy) and thus obtained another title. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor specialized in mental health. Your analogy with "cop" is on point, however. I would call a psychiatrist/psychologist a shrink the same way I would call a police officer a cop. The word is informal/slang, and may not be best used when addressing the professional in question directly. For context: I teach highschool English in Switzerland. In one of my literature classes (we are studying The Picture of Dorian Gray), I would like my students to play shrink and try to identify what is wrong with the main character's mental health. I'm using the word shrink on purpose here, to familiarize my students with some slang. I just want to make sure I know what exact profession the word refers to. You must log in or register to reply here. Share: Bluesky LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

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