Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2015 September 17#Get yourself a shrink

Hi,

as far as I can understad, "get yourself a shrink" means "get yourself a psychiatist", which is (at least translated to german) a good advice if somebody has a psychiatric disorder or an insult if he hasn't. My question is, is that English phrase also used joculary, as a fun word, a harmless practical joke or with any other non-medical and non-offensive meaning? --Superbass (talk) 15:09, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:Oh, I'd venture that the phrase carries negative affect in English, too. But possibly in a less intense way than in German. StevenJ81 (talk) 15:47, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:{{ec}} You may find [http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-shr1.htm this] of interest. Personally, I think the original use of headshrinker or shrink to refer to a psychiatrist, although it may have been (at least sometimes) jocular, has pretty much lost all jocularity by now. I can't think of any current use in which "get yourself a shrink" would be anything other than either well-intended advice or an insult. Deor (talk) 15:49, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:All insults can also be intended as jokes between good friends. This is one of those things that can be lost in translation, as the [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19731012&id=mp8rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UvwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5626,1704873&hl=en concept of the good-natured insult is a uniquely American phenomenon] (or at least used to be, it may, like other parts of American culture, be exported), formal events in America known as a roast, where people hurl horrible, disgusting insults at really good friends. In many places in America, the insulting of one's good friends is normal, and part of the culture. --Jayron32 18:12, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:::ObPersonal: in my (6 decades) experience of (male) British culture it's entirely normal here, too, so I disagree that it's "a uniquely American phenomenon". {The Poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 185.74.232.130 (talk) 13:16, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

::It is my understanding, by the way, that among psychologists the term "shrink" refers to a clinical psychologist as opposed to an experimental psychologist. I knew someone who said, "I'm not a shrink; I'm a rat-runner." "Rat-runner" of course refers to the common use of rats in mazes for experiments. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:56, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:::See Rat running for an alternate meaning. Akld guy (talk) 20:19, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:::I usually use it for the analytical psychology sort, who shrink complex and disparate issues into simpler archetypes, for easier compartmentalization. The tired [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FreudianCouch Freudian Couch] deal, not the hackneyed [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PsychoPsychologist Psycho Pyschologist] (too much id) or the plain old [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MadDoctor Mad Doctor] (too much ego). InedibleHulk (talk) 21:28, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:::Technically, if you're on a Freudian couch, that's psychoanalysis, but it's [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AllPsychologyIsFreudian all the same, as far as the mainstream cares.] InedibleHulk (talk) 21:33, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

::::Is it offensive or just jocular? I guess it depends if you're [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sNlZFK8RHU rich and famous]. Martinevans123 (talk) 21:42, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

:::::Quite harmless of course. Advice you might well be given by "Eric from Manchester." Martinevans123 (talk) 07:31, 18 September 2015 (UTC)