According to statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly 30 million adults receive some kind of psychological treatment annually. Some of those patients probably referred to their therapist as a “shrink.” So, where did the term come from? Believe it or not, the term actually originated in Hollywood, when it was shortened from “headshrinker.” That term referred to the custom of shrinking heads by tribes in Ecuador and Peru. The tribes would remove the bone, muscle, fat and brain from decapitated heads, leaving the intact skin and hair. Psychiatrists were thought of as headshrinkers because they reduced the patient’s ego down to something manageable. Obviously, not everyone seeking counseling is in need of an ego reduction, but the shortened version “shrink” steadily (and ironically) grew through the 1970s. The next obvious question would be: Is the term “shrink” offensive to therapists? Calling a police officer “cop” is generally a neutral label, but calling one a “pig” becomes offensive. Some people say that calling a therapist a “shrink” is like calling a lawyer a “shark.” It's possible that shrink was originally intended to be derogatory, but not for the professionals. You probably won’t offend a therapist by calling them a “shrink,” but if you’re worried, you can always use your hour to talk about it.
