overidentify
verb
over·iden·ti·fy
ˌō-vər-ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī 
-ə-
overidentified; overidentifying
1
transitive + intransitive
: to engage in excessive or inappropriate psychological identification
a therapist overidentifying with a client
The danger of overidentifying with animals, particularly carnivores, is that it leads people to expect human behavior of them.—
Dana Goodyear
Dana Goodyear[Russell] Moore worries that conservative Evangelicals have overidentified themselves not just with the particular political salvation tale of the GOP, but with old-school "American family values" as a sign of godliness.—Ed Kilgore
Ed Kilgore2
transitive
: to identify (something or someone) excessively and often incorrectly
the brain's tendency to overidentify faces in random shapes
overidentification
noun
Overidentification with the child client can undermine parents …
—Annette Shore
Annette Shore
… the overidentification of some students of some backgrounds as having particular disabilities.
—Nirvi Shah
Nirvi Shah
Examples of overidentify in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some of these dedicated professionals may overidentify with their jobs, increasing the potential for burnout.
—Liz Kislik, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2021
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Liz Kislik, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near overidentify
Cite this Entry
“Overidentify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overidentify. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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