REACTION FORMATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

(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

Example:

his strict morality is just a reaction formation to hide his sexual drive

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("reaction formation" is a kind of...):

defence; defence mechanism; defence reaction; defense; defense mechanism; defense reaction ((psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires)

Domain category:

psychiatry; psychological medicine; psychopathology (the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders)

Credits