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reaction formation

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.04 sec.
reaction formation
n.
A psychological defense mechanism by which an objectionable impulse is expressed in an opposite or contrasting behavior.
reaction formation
n
(Psychoanalysis) Psychoanal a defence mechanism by which a person at a conscious level condemns a repressed wish: thus, a latent homosexual may denounce homosexuality
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.reaction formation - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously develops attitudes and behavior that are the opposite of unacceptable repressed desires and impulses and serve to conceal them; "his strict morality is just a reaction formation to hide his sexual drive"
psychiatry, psychological medicine, psychopathology - the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders
defence, defence mechanism, defence reaction, defense mechanism, defense reaction, defense - (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires


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