reaction formation
noun Psychoanalysis.
a behavioral tendency developed in direct opposition to a repressed impulse.
Origin of reaction formation
First recorded in 1905–10
Words nearby reaction formation
reactance,
reactant,
reaction,
reaction chamber,
reaction engine,
reaction formation,
reaction of degeneration,
reaction time,
reaction turbine,
reactionary,
reactivate
British Dictionary definitions for reaction formation
reaction formation
noun
psychoanal
a defence mechanism by which a person at a conscious level condemns a repressed wish: thus, a latent homosexual may denounce homosexuality
Medical definitions for reaction formation
reaction formation
n.
A defense mechanism by which an objectionable impulse is expressed in an opposite or contrasting attitude or behavior.