Definitions for overcompensationˈoʊ vərˌkɒm pənˈseɪ ʃən

ADVERTISEMENT

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

o•ver•com•pen•sa•tionˈoʊ vərˌkɒm pənˈseɪ ʃən(n.)

  1. compensation to an unnecessary or unreasonable degree.

    Category: Common Vocabulary, Psychiatry

  2. Psychoanal. a pronounced striving to overcome a trait perceived as unacceptable by substituting an opposite trait.

    Category: Psychiatry

Origin of overcompensation:

1915–20; as psychoanalytic term, trans. of G Überkompensation, coined by Alfred Adler

Princeton's WordNet

  1. overcompensation(noun)

    (psychiatry) an attempt to overcome a real or imagined defect or unwanted trait by overly exaggerating its opposite

  2. overcompensation(noun)

    excessive compensation

Wiktionary

  1. overcompensation(Noun)

    An excess amount provided in one area in an effort to overcome a perceived lack in another area.

  2. overcompensation(Noun)

    Excessive pay or reward provided for work performed.


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"overcompensation." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2013. Web. 23 May 2013. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/overcompensation>.


The Web's Largest Resource for

Definitions & Translations


A Member Of The STANDS4 Network


Nearby & related entries:

Alternative searches for overcompensation: