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Definition of Reaction formation
1. Noun. (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"
Category relationships: Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Psychopathology
Generic synonyms: Defence, Defence Mechanism, Defence Reaction, Defense, Defense Mechanism, Defense Reaction
Generic synonyms: Defence, Defence Mechanism, Defence Reaction, Defense, Defense Mechanism, Defense Reaction
Medical Definition of Reaction formation
1. In psychoanalysis, a postulated defense mechanism in which attitudes and behaviours that are adopted are the opposites of that which the individual would ordinarily be expected to express and actually feel at an unconscious level. (05 Mar 2000)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Reaction Formation
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