n(y)üˈrōsə̇s, n(y)əˈ- noun
( plural neuro·ses -ˌsēz)
Etymology: New Latin, from neur- + -osis
1. : a functional disorder of the central nervous system usually manifested by anxiety, phobias, obsessions, or compulsions but frequently displaying signs of somatic disorder involving any of the bodily systems with or without other subjective or behavioral manifestations and having its most probable etiology in intrapsychic or interpersonal conflict
somatic changes such as induced by drugs or by fatigue may act as precipitating, and constitutional factors as predisposing, influences in neurosis
it is the feeling of isolation, of being shut out, which is the painful sting of every neurosis — Erich Fromm
a neurosis or a neurotic fantasy always relates to a reality, and a neurotic expression of a reality is likely to have more force than a “normal” one — Lionel Trilling
2. : individual or group behavior that is characterized by rigid adherence to an idealized concept of the personal or social organism especially when that concept is significantly at variance with reality and that results in interpersonal, cultural, or political conflict and in the development of discomforting intraorganismal tensions
the atmosphere of conformity, induced by our present neurosis