REACTION FORMATION
\ɹɪˈakʃən fɔːmˈe͡ɪʃən], \ɹɪˈakʃən fɔːmˈeɪʃən], \ɹ_ɪ__ˈa_k_ʃ_ə_n f_ɔː_m_ˈeɪ_ʃ_ə_n]\
Sort: Oldest first
-
(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"
By Princeton University
