allocentric
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allocentric
- /ˌælə(ʊ)ˈsɛntɹɪk/ UK
- /ˌæloʊˈsɛntɹɪk/ US
Rhymes with -ɛntɹɪk
Where it comes from
The adjective is derived from allo- (prefix meaning ‘different; other’) + -centric (suffix meaning ‘having a specified object at the centre, or as the focus of attention’). Sense 3 (‘of a tourist: tending to be adventurous’) was coined by the American travel researcher Stanley C. Plog in a paper presented to the Southern California Chapter of the Travel Research Association on 10 October 1972, which was later published in February 1974.
The noun is probably derived from the adjective.
adjective more allocentric · most allocentric
-
Concerned with the interests of others more than one's own; community-minded.
Similar: altruistic, exocentric, generous, geocentric, selfless · Opposite: autocentric, egocentric, idiocentric, self-absorbed, self-centered, selfish
- Of spatial representations: linked to a reference frame based on the external environment and independent of one's current location in it (for example, giving a direction as "north" as opposed to "right").
- Of a tourist: tending to be adventurous and preferring novel and unfamiliar experiences. [Stanley C.] Plog (1974, 1990, 1991b) delineated personality types along a continuum ranging from allocentrism to psychocentrism. The psychocentric personality type tends toward territory boundedness, insecurity, and powerlessness. Psychocentric individuals also tend to have non-active lifestyles an
noun allocentrics
- A tourist who tends to be adventurous and to prefer novel and unfamiliar experiences. According to [Stanley C.] Plog (1991b), psychocentrics tend to prefer a high degree of familiarity in their travel and, as a result, enjoy group or "packaged" tours. In contrast, allocentrics enjoy vacations to exotic and unique destinations, and prefer to travel independently (i.e., not as part of
Talk about this word "allocentric." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/allocentric. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. allocentric. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/allocentric "allocentric." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/allocentric.Cite this
@misc{allocentric_2026,
title = {allocentric},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/allocentric},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
