repetition-compulsion

repetition-compulsion definition - medical

rep·e·ti·tion-com·pul·sion (rĕpˌĭ-tĭshˈən-kəm-pŭlˈshən)

noun
In psychoanalysis, the tendency to repeat earlier experiences or actions in an unconscious effort to achieve belated mastery over them.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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