Acting out is a defense mechanism in which a person expresses an emotion through physical behavior, often behavior that is socially inappropriate or antisocial, rather than by consciously experiencing or putting the feeling into words. Instead of recognizing or articulating what they feel, the person communicates their distress indirectly through their actions, frequently without understanding the true source of their own conduct. In psychoanalytic theory, acting out is understood as a way of re-experiencing an old, unresolved emotional conflict through present behavior rather than through memory or verbal expression.
Facts
Core ClaimThe expression of emotion by physical movement, especially movement perceived as socially inappropriate or anti-social. 1 Classification
Type of Phenomenon Connections
In Branch
Source Acting out, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Acting out, Wikipedia
Lead, first sentence
In psychology and psychiatry, acting out is the expression of one's emotion by physical movement, especially ones perceived as socially inappropriate or anti-social.
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
It is considered a form of self-control, and, in psychoanalytic theory, a defense mechanism.
In Branch: Forensic Psychology, Categories
Wikipedia article 'Acting out' is filed under Category:Forensic psychology.
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