to perseverate

2 9.9

Repeat the same word or action many times even when it is not needed

verb
/ˌpɜːrsəˈvɛrɪt/

Specialized

: perseverar

Findings from this study offer an important reminder that professionals should be careful not to perseverate on the deficits and challenges young people with IDD experience to the omission of the strengths they might bring to relationships and activities.

So I think that attitude is my strength and my weakness is that I can perseverate on my failures.

Examples

Children with autism may perseverate on specific topics, often discussing them at length without acknowledging other subjects.
He perseverates when stacking objects and frequently becomes sensorially overloaded.

Academic text (2001)
Most likely we would not encourage a friend to perseverate; we'd encourage them to get up and get out.

Blog text (30)
After Kevin had finished eating his breakfast, he began perseverating as general education students entered the room.

Academic text (2013)
For example, one child with autism perseverated on facts concerning U.S. geography.

Academic text (1999)
The teacher's attitude of acceptance is vital to helping the child as he or she attempts to move out of the perseverating behavior to the next activity.

Academic text (1996)
Yet understanding when the student perseverates, the triggers or antecedents of the perseveration, the types of perseveration, and its consequences can result in immediate benefits when it comes to intervening with the student.

Academic text (2013)
Anxiety is a trigger for perseveration, and when a person with ASD who is physically perseverating notices stares or comments from others, this increases the anxiety and thus the incidence of physical perseveration.

Academic text (2013)
In therapy, he tends to perseverate about his childhood experiences, repeating the same stories over and over.
When anxious, she would perseverate on her mistakes, unable to move past the thoughts that plagued her.

Antonyms

to cease

440 3.6

To stop or come to an end

to discontinue

48 4.2

To stop something that is happening or being given

How Repetitive

to perseverate

Specialized

2 9.9

to reiterate

93 5.9

to repeat

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

perseverate infinitive

perseverated past

perseverated past participle

perseverating present participle

perseverates third person singular

Morphology

perseverate = persevere (semi-transparent) = persevere + ate

Formed from 'persevere' with the verb-forming suffix '-ate', but the clinical sense 'to repeat insistently' differs from the ordinary meaning 'to persist'.

Etymology

Perseverate comes from the same idea as persevere, which means 'to continue' or keep going. So in psychology it means to keep repeating the same word or action after you should stop, like someone who keeps 'continuing' one response for too long.