Unable to stop thinking about or being interested in something; obsessed or stuck on an idea, person, or object.
From Latin 'fixus' (past participle of 'figere,' to fasten). Originally used in psychology by Freud to describe developmental stages (oral fixation, anal fixation). The term expanded to general English meaning intense, often unhealthy focus.
Freud's 'fixation' theory is mostly outdated psychology, but the word stuck around because it describes something real: people really do get cognitively stuck on things. Modern neuroscience shows it's about neural patterns that get reinforced through repetition.
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