Words for mature minds

Words for mature minds : vicarious, rationalize, gregarious, maudlin, sublimate

The above words can be found hard to be understood by any small child, since to be understood correctly, they require some real time experience of life. So, here we go,

Vicarious:  Experienced through another by imagination, e.g. There are two ways to travel: one by buying a ticket to your destination say, Paris and the other by reading travel stories of Paris. In the first instance you have enjoyed your travel instance directly, and in the second case, you have enjoyed vicariously. When you read a story or novel, then you live vicarious joys and sorrows, that are characterized by the characters of that story. A woman sitting at home, getting bored by her original life may feel vicarious happiness, when she watches a TV serial, as she starts to impersonate the actress of the serial.

Rationalize: Offer reasonable explanation for something. e. g. there are selfish people, who never give anything to charity, and still they don’t consider themselves to be selfish, however. They prefer to think that charity is harmful to poor people and demoralize those who receive it. By thinking so, he is rationalizing his selfish act, and rationalization makes feel him better.

Gregarious: living communally, or living in groups. This term came from the Latin word grex, which means a flock like a sheep, and as you know, sheeps have the habit, that they like to stay in groups. If you are a gregarious person, you like to be in groups, you are friendly, a good mixer, you enjoy to attend parties, crowded theatres and dance floors. Because human beings are gregarious, hence they get married, have families, live in thronging cities, sing and play together.

Maudlin: a maudlin person is one who super sentimental and gushing, who cries easily and without much cause. People who are maudlin in their affection usually overdo the act, and their love become tiresome and offensive.

Sublimate: to channel impulses or energies regarded as unacceptable, especially sexual desires, toward an activity that is more socially acceptable, often a creative activity, like poetry or art. A female whose unconscious desire is to enslave the males, and rule the world, dominate the males, becomes the energetic and successful business executive, and only her psychiatrist knows that she is sublimating.