Definitions by Luddz

hand-minded 

People who prefer and are more adept at manual activities rather than mental ones.

Schools should make special provisions for their hand-minded students.

hand-minded by Luddz June 12, 2015

Hawthorne Effect 

According to experiments (first conducted in the Hawthorn plant of Western Electric in Illinois, people who are told that they are highly capable and are doing well will then do even better work than worse. The adage "Honey catches more flies than vinegar" suggests that changes resulting from praise or dispraise may not be lasting.

At my workplace, nobody employs the Hawthorne Effect ....so it should be no big secret that it sucks to work there.

Hawthorne Effect by Luddz June 12, 2015

Spite marriage 

A marriage motivated primarily by a desire to hurt or get even with someone else.

"She soon found out that her spite marriage to Bob was a big mistake. You see, Tom didn't care -- in fact he congratulated them both with the utmost sincerity."

Spite marriage by Luddz June 11, 2015

reference group 

a group that heshe admires and wants to emulate; heshe shares their interests, attitudes, and social values.

Unfortunatly the reference group of the young slum-dweller is often one that turns himer towards crime.

reference group by Luddz June 10, 2015

obscurant 

One who willfully hides information, especially to prevent others from attaining knowledge or wisdom; also, tending to obscure, pertaining to the act of obscuring.

"Why are you being such an obscurant!"

obscurant by Luddz June 8, 2015

dabster 

A person who dabbles with a task (or anything else) but is not highly proficient at it and does not devote much time to it.

Both Churchill and Eisenhower were dabsters in painting.

dabster by Luddz June 6, 2015

empathy

Empathy is like sympathy but suggests an even closer relationship.

Sympathetic people try to be understanding and compassionate, but people who have empathy feel that they are inside someone else's mind and emotional being, feel that they are the other person for a while. They live with and share the other's joy, sorrow, pain, fear, love. Readers are often empathetic toward (identify with") one or more fictional characters.

empathy by Luddz June 6, 2015