symptom formation

symptom formation definition - medical

symptom formation

noun
The process of developing a physical or behavioral substitute for an unconscious impulse or a conflict that causes anxiety, such as avoiding crowds. Also called symptom substitution.

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

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.