The word peripeteia in Aristotle's Poetics refers to a "reversal." It means that sometimes things happen in your life that changes everything. It could be a huge event or something very minute. Another term is Anagnorisis which is basically "recognition." These two terms, though they stand on their own, can occur at the same time. Sometimes people have moments in their lives where they realize that they arent headed in the direction that they want. Maybe instead of going forward they are slowly heading back. They notice this and say to themselves that they have to change or else they will be in the same spot that they started out in.
A good example of this would be my own mother. My mom has been a diabetic for about 5 years. The doctor told her that she had to watch what she ate and get exercise. She agreed but never really did too much. She would take her medication and try to eat right, but would always end up doing things that she shouldnt have been doing. I guess she never really thought that anything was really going to happen to her. But one day when she had a doctors appointment, the doctor told her that her sugar was too high and that my mom was going to have to go on insulin shots. This worked as my moms Anagnorisis. She refused to go on insulin because she is afraid of having to poke herself everyday with the needles. Then came her Peripeteia. That day she decided that she was going to change the way she did things. Now she eats better and takes care of herself and hasnt had to go on insulin. Every now and then she will start messing up again, but then she remembers what the doctor told her and she gets back on track. Sometimes it takes a little scare or reflection in order to get a person to do the right thing
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