Psychology Perseveration

For general usage in psychology perseveration refers to a redundant and continuous repetition of words or actions. In clinical psychiatry the term can be used to refer some form of response repetition or the inability to shift easily from one activity to another as needed.

This difficulty is generally referenced by the repetition of words or gestures without a stimulus.

In a school setting this would be the students who aren't able to switch subjects or transition between classes easily. In a clinical setting this would be the client or patient who sits alone talking to him or herself or continuously repeats the same words of phrases. A person who is in a state of perseveration will ramble on and on and not adhere to normal conversational cues such as back and forth discourse and pausing to let another person speak.