A defense mechanism where a person unconsciously adopts attitudes or behaviors that are the opposite of their true feelings or impulses. This creates a psychological shield against acknowledging unacceptable desires.
From Latin 'reagere' meaning 'to act back' and 'formare' meaning 'to shape.' Anna Freud coined this term in the 1930s to describe how the psyche could form reactive attitudes as a way of defending against threatening impulses.
Reaction formation is like psychological reverse psychology that you play on yourself - someone who secretly craves attention might become excessively modest, or someone with violent impulses might become overly gentle and peaceful!
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