--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He wondered what the collective noun was…" description: "\"“He wondered what the collective noun was for psychologists: a shortage of shrinks? A confession of counsellors?”\" — Daryl Gregory" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/daryl-gregory-10433_psychologists_he-wondered-what-the-collective-noun-was_2828928.jpg" --- # He wondered what the collective noun was for… ![“He wondered what the collective noun was for psychologists: a shortage of shrinks? A confession of counsellors?” quote by Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/daryl-gregory-10433_psychologists_he-wondered-what-the-collective-noun-was_2828928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/daryl-gregory-10433_psychologists_he-wondered-what-the-collective-noun-was_2828928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/daryl-gregory-10433_psychologists_he-wondered-what-the-collective-noun-was_2828928.jpg) > ““He wondered what the collective noun was for psychologists: a shortage of shrinks? A confession of counsellors?”” [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The joke plays on the idea that psychologists are scarce, humorously suggesting a shortage of professionals to address mental health. **In simple terms:** Psychologists are in demand. Key Takeaway Promote mental‑health awareness and support. Themes mental health humor stigma professionals Mood lighthearted serious Type satire advocacy When to use this quote - healthcare - education - workplace - policy Key Concepts psychology social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How can we increase access to mental‑health services? - What societal factors contribute to therapist scarcity? A Different Perspective Humor may trivialize serious shortages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collective Noun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-noun-863705/) [Noun Psychologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noun-psychologists-3644420/) [Psychologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychologists/) [Psychologists Shortage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychologists-shortage-3644421/) [Shrinks Confession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrinks-confession-3644422/) ## Related quotes > [“Since we are on the topic of ravens, a collective noun for ravens is an unkindness. 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It's about education, work, marriage - it's even about sports. What I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/psychology-is-much-bigger-than-just-medicine-or-fixing-unhealthy/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. 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Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## More by Daryl Gregory > [“The human egg is a Mrs. Bennet, desperate to marry off her daughters...It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sperm must be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-human-egg-is-a-mrs-bennet-desperate-to-marry-off-her-daughters-it/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“He lit the cigarette and inhaled gratefully. "You want one?" "No thanks. Had a touch of the cancer a few years ago." "What kind?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/he-lit-the-cigarette-and-inhaled-gratefully-you-want-one-no-thanks/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“startled awake. Ollie froze for a moment, staring in his direction. The kid scrunched his face and yawned like a bear. I said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/startled-awake-ollie-froze-for-a-moment-staring-in-his-direction-the/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“Fayza leaned in, squinting, as if she didn’t hear me correctly: one of the library of power moves that adults used to signal that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/fayza-leaned-in-squinting-as-if-she-didn-t-hear-me-correctly-one-of/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“The business travelers, however, were all business, from their business jacket to their business skirts and their skinny business shoes. 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But she had once known an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/there-was-a-scientist-who-did-not-believe-in-gods-or-fairies-or/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“What was the point of being a mind anchored to this read weight-or dying weight, that was it, a blooby mass already becoming old,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-anchored-to-this-read-weight-or/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“A BS in any neuroscience without a master's or PhD was a three-legged dog of a degree: pitiable, adorable, and capable of inspiring applause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/a-bs-in-any-neuroscience-without-a-master-s-or-phd-was-a-three-legged/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“Frankie did as he was told. He popped the last three cubes form a tray and slid the empty container back into the freezer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/frankie-did-as-he-was-told-he-popped-the-last-three-cubes-form-a-tray/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [The best aunts aren't substitute parents, they're co-conspirators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-best-aunts-aren-t-substitute-parents-they-re-co-conspirators/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“Then they were off again, across the unbroken sprawl of Chicagoland, a single city made up of interlocking strip malls, decorated at random intervals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/then-they-were-off-again-across-the-unbroken-sprawl-of-chicagoland-a/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“You know why I’m raising you kids to be Cubs fans?” Buddy shakes his head. “Any mook can be a fan of a winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/you-know-why-i-m-raising-you-kids-to-be-cubs-fans-buddy-shakes-his/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“The gun, my young friend, is that dark cousin of the placebo, the nocebo. If a placebo provides false benefits, the nocebo imparts false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-gun-my-young-friend-is-that-dark-cousin-of-the-placebo-the-nocebo/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“I met him in the hospital.' I saw the eyebrow raise in my peripheral vision. 'Yeah, that hospital. He believes that powerful telepaths are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/i-met-him-in-the-hospital-i-saw-the-eyebrow-raise-in-my-peripheral/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) [Explore all 65 Daryl Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) ## More Psychologists quotes > [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [It used to be that whenever I introduced myself to people and told them I was a psychologist, they would shrink away from me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-used-to-be-that-whenever-i-introduced-myself-to-people-and-told/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I like to move among painters, mathematicians, psychologists, people who can tell me something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-woodcock/i-like-to-move-among-painters-mathematicians-psychologists-people-who/) [George Woodcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-woodcock/) > [“Psychologists cannot fix the world so they fix women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/psychologists-cannot-fix-the-world-so-they-fix-women/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [You psychologists focus on what is wrong with people; I want to focus on what is right and what could be right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-briggs-myers/you-psychologists-focus-on-what-is-wrong-with-people-i-want-to-focus/) [Isabel Briggs Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-briggs-myers/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Psychology is much bigger than just medicine, or fixing unhealthy things. It's about education, work, marriage - it's even about sports. What I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/psychology-is-much-bigger-than-just-medicine-or-fixing-unhealthy/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [But I have tried to go over it very carefully, not merely what the evidence is, but with psychoanalysts and psychologists, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/but-i-have-tried-to-go-over-it-very-carefully-not-merely-what-the/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [I'm one of the best-loved psychologists in the United States, but I'm also probably the most hated one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/i-m-one-of-the-best-loved-psychologists-in-the-united-states-but-i-m/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [“Most good writers are good psychologists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-ballon/most-good-writers-are-good-psychologists/) [Rachel Ballon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-ballon/) > [If you want to understand human beings, there are plenty of people to go to besides psychologists… Most of these people are incapable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/if-you-want-to-understand-human-beings-there-are-plenty-of-people-to/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [“We live in a world where some psychologists are the most dangerous mental abusers. Take care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitta-xinindlu/we-live-in-a-world-where-some-psychologists-are-the-most-dangerous/) [Mitta Xinindlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitta-xinindlu/) > [A single human brain has about a hundred million nerve cells... and a computer program that throws light on the mind/brain problem will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/a-single-human-brain-has-about-a-hundred-million-nerve-cells-and-a/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [Psychologists have found that we are more likely, in looking back at our lives, to remember high points and dramatic shifts in far greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/psychologists-have-found-that-we-are-more-likely-in-looking-back-at/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [But what many psychologists have done, probably because they did well on a test themselves and everyone wants high self esteem, is to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sternberg/but-what-many-psychologists-have-done-probably-because-they-did-well/) [Robert Sternberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sternberg/) [Browse all 92 Psychologists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychologists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He wondered what the collective noun was for psychologists: a shortage of shrinks? 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