1. (psychiatry) a defence mechanism in which a person unconsciously develops attitudes and behaviour 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"

Derived forms: reaction formations

Type of: defence [Brit, Cdn], defence mechanism [Brit, Cdn], defence reaction [Brit, Cdn], defense [US], defense mechanism [US], defense reaction [US]

Encyclopedia: Reaction formation

• thiouracil
• third
• Third Baron Rayleigh
• third base
• third baseman
• third battle of Ypres
• third class
• Third Council of Constantinople
• third cranial nerve
• Third Crusade
• third deck
• third degree
• third dimension
• Third Epistel of John
• third estate
• third eye
• third eyelid
• third gear
• third house
• Third Lateran Council
• third law of motion
• third law of thermodynamics
• third man
• third party
• third person