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Obsession

Psychology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An intense, recurring fixation on a thought, image, or person that permeates a poem’s emotional or thematic core.

Detailed Definition
Obsession consumes attention and distorts reality. Poetry mirrors its circularity through repetition, fixed imagery, or claustrophobic syntax, revealing the thin line between devotion and psychological entrapment.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sylvia Plath’s “The Rival,” obsession fixates on a moon-like competitor; In Robert Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover,” obsession leads to murder; In Emily Dickinson’s “My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun,” obsession transforms identity; In W.B. Yeats’ “No Second Troy,” obsession colors admiration for Maud Gonne; In Adrienne Rich’s “Twenty-One Love Poems,” obsession complicates lesbian love; In Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City,” obsession echoes in survival amid chaos.
Additional Notes
Obsession—fixated thought or behavior—often drives narrative in poetry (Browning, Plath); differs from passion by its compulsive quality; poetic techniques include repetition, narrow focus, or escalating imagery; students should analyze whether obsession destroys or creates; note its gendering—female obsession is often pathologized.
Also Known As
Fixation Preoccupation Compulsion Monomania
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