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

[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

2

transitive : to identify (something or someone) excessively and often incorrectly

the brain's tendency to overidentify faces in random shapes

overidentification

ˌō-vər-ī-ˌden-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

-ə-

noun

Overidentification with the child client can undermine parents …

—Annette Shore

… the overidentification of some students of some backgrounds as having particular disabilities.

—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

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overidentify

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi