schizoid

[Jonathan Lighter]

OED has an entry for the "fig. & transf." use of _schizoid_, dating from the
mid 1950s, but that "definition" hardly does justice to the long
fashionable sense of "notably divided or inconsistent in thought, attitude,
approach, etc."

An excellent ex.:

1995 Paul Boyer in _The International History Review_ XVII (May) 404:
Doherty documents the war movies' "schizoid" portrayal of women: as awakened
patriots...; as traditional wives and sweethearts awaiting their men's
return...; as spunky war workers...; as spiritual inspirations...; and even
as marines....

For me, a merely "fig." usage of "schizoid" would imply something
irrational, confused, perhaps paradoxical, certainly undesirable.  In the
above example (and many others) the inconsistency reflects aspects of
reality, not pathology.

JL

--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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