We explain what idiosyncrasy is, what aspects of societies it describes and the origin of the term. Also, idiosyncrasy in pharmacology.
What is idiosyncrasy?
By the term idiosyncrasy we normally refer to the collective temperament of an individual or a human society, or even a group of communities. That is, idiosyncrasy is called set of ideas, behaviors, attitudes and social customs that are characteristic of a community, a nation or any human group.
The notion of idiosyncrasy allows us to handle ourselves in very general terms about the way in which societies tend to act, without thereby affirming that each of their members always respond to a certain behavior. For example, Latin American idiosyncrasy encompasses the general trends in language, social behavior, ways of thinking, or attitudes toward reality that are most commonly manifested in the context of Latin American society.
“Idiosyncrasy” is a word from Greek voices idios, “Singular”, and synkrasis, “Temperament”, and It was used for the first time in Spanish in 1861, by the writer of Hispanic origin Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (1833-1891) in an attempt to describe the way of being of the Neapolitans. Later, in 1869, it was accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy and its use formalized in the Spanish-speaking world.
The correct way to write idiosyncrasy is as it is read here, with “s” in the final syllable, and not “idiosyncrasy“Or”ideosyncrasy”, Wrong terms. There is also a specialized meaning of this word, coming from pharmacology, and which refers to certain types of reactions (idiosyncratic reaction) to a certain drug that are common to a certain age group, and for which there is no explanation. .