Importune

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Definitions

• 1: troublesomely urgent : overly persistent in request or demand <importunate creditors>
• 2: troublesome

Description

Nagging is a form of pestering, or otherwise reminding an individual of previously discussed dictates or advice, usually from a perspective of superiority. The word is derived from the Scandinavian nagga, which means "to gnaw".

Social nagging

Psychotherapists such as Edward S. Dean have reported that individuals who nag are often "weak, insecure, and fearful ... their nagging disguises a basic feeling of weakness and provides an illusion of power and superiority". Nagging is sometimes used by spouses of alcoholics as one of several "drinking control efforts", but it is often unproductive. Psychologically, nagging can act to reinforce behavior. It was found in a study by the University of Florida that the main factors that lead a person to nag are differences in "gender, social distance, and social status and power".

Nagging can be found between both male and female spouses, though usually over different subjects. The husbands' nagging usually involves them finding "fault with their dinner, with the household bills, with the children, and with everything else", along with them "carry[ing] home the worries of business."[1]