In psychology-related slang, control freak is a person who attempts to dictate how everything is done around them. The phrase was first used in the late 1960s — an era when great stress was laid on the principle of 'doing one's own thing' and letting others do the same. In some instances, the term is earnest or self-mocking rather than derogatory, as when a self-styled "take charge" individual willingly proclaims the label.