What Is Reaction Formation?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Reaction Formation?HistoryHow to Recognize Reaction FormationExamplesEvidenceHow to Address It

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Reaction Formation?

History

How to Recognize Reaction Formation

Examples

Evidence

How to Address It

Close

In psychology, reaction formation is adefense mechanismin which a person unconsciously replaces an unwanted or anxiety-provoking impulse with its opposite, often expressed in an exaggerated or showy way.

A classic example is a young boy who bullies a young girl because, on a subconscious level, he’s attracted to her. Consciously, he can’t face the reality of his romantic feelings, so he expresses distaste toward her instead of appreciation.

Mature vs. Primitive Defense Mechanisms

History of Reaction Formation

Id, Ego, and Superego: Freud’s Elements of Personality

Reaction formation is a way for theegoto defend itself against any thoughts or feelings that an individual finds unacceptable due to personal, familial, community, or societal standards. While this may protect the individual’s self-esteem at the moment, this can become problematic over time. It suppresses one’s authentic self, which harms one’s well-being.

Unfortunately, reaction formation can be especially challenging to recognize in everyday life. Someone defending their ego this way can be extremely passionate about the beliefs and preferences they outwardly express while their true beliefs stay buried in the subconscious.

Learning about defense mechanisms and examining your behavior can help you determine whether you may be using reaction formation to shield yourself from unwanted thoughts or feelings. Amental health professionalcan best guide you through this process, given they can explore your behavior with you and provide a more objective perspective.

Denial as a Defense Mechanism

Examples of Reaction Formation

While reaction formation may seem counterintuitive, there are many scenarios in which an individual may outwardly support one view while unconsciously feeling its exact opposite.

Here are some additional examples of reaction formation:

Repression in Psychology

Evidence for Reaction Formation

While not all defense mechanisms have held up to research scrutiny, many studies have provided convincing evidence for reaction formation.

The consistency of the results led researchers to suggest that reaction formation is “one of the more prominent and common responses to esteem threat.”

More recent studies have continued to provide evidence for reaction formation.

For example, in a 2012 study, Weinstein and her colleagues used a test to measure participants' implicitsexual orientationand asked them to identify their sexual orientation explicitly.The researchers found that when there was a discrepancy between participants' implicit and explicit sexual orientation, they were more likely to regard those who identified as gay with hostility.

These participants reported greater homophobia, were more likely to endorse anti-gay policies and measured higher implicit hostility towards gay individuals—a potent demonstration of reaction formation.

Compensation and Defense Mechanisms

How to Address Reaction Formation

Working with a counselor or therapist to identify a reaction formation means you will have to recognize thoughts and impulses you may likely find uncomfortable. The purpose is to explore and ultimately accept the underlying thoughts or impulses that caused the anxiety which led to the reaction formation in the first place. This can be a challenging and drawn-out process.

For example, an individual may come across as friendly and easy-going, yet in reality, dislike most of their friends. A counselor would help the individual identify the discrepancy between their feelings and behavior, explore why their dislike of their friends causes anxiety, and then help them accept their true feelings.

How to Stop Being Defensive

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Bailey R, Pico J. Defense mechanisms. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021.

Freud, A.The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense. New York, NY: Routledge; 1936/2018.

Baumeister RF, Dale K, Sommer KL.Freudian Defense Mechanisms and Empirical Findings in Modern Social Psychology: Reaction Formation, Projection, Displacement, Undoing, Isolation, Sublimation, and Denial.J Pers. 1998;66(6):1081-1124. doi:10.1111/1467-6494.00043

Morokoff P.Effects of sex guilt, repression, sexual “arousability,” and sexual experience on female sexual arousal during erotica and fantasy.J Pers Soc Psychol. 1985;49(1):177-187. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.49.1.177

Sherman SJ, Gorkin L.Attitude bolstering when behavior is inconsistent with central attitudes.J Exp Soc Psychol. 1980;16(4):388-403. doi:10.1016/0022-1031(80)90030-x

Dutton D, Lake R.Threat of own prejudice and reverse discrimination in interracial situations.J Pers Soc Psychol. 1973;28(1):94-100. doi:10.1037/h0035582

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