overcompensating
Excessive effort backfiring
Overcompensating is trying too hard to make up for a perceived weakness or failing, often in ways that become obvious or excessive.
Someone short might overcompensate by acting aggressive; someone insecure about intelligence might overcompensate by showing off knowledge.
The term often carries a note of amateur psychology: He drives that sports car because he's overcompensating for something.
Pretense of fearlessness
- blusterLoud, empty boasting
- boastfulnessExcessive pride in oneself
- swaggerConfident, boastful manner
- defensivenessResistance to perceived attack
grandiosity · pretension · ostentatious · showy · extravagance · puffery · vainglorious · pompous
Excessive effort or action
- overcorrectionExcessive corrective action
- overreactionDisproportionate emotional response
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
overindulgence · overspending · overgiving · lavishing · spoiling · overprotecting · overpraising · overworking
Something that extends outward
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- displacementRemoval from usual location
reaction formation · sublimation · avoidance · repression · coping mechanism · defense mechanism · masking · covering
Superior influence over others
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
- pushyUnpleasantly forceful in manner
coercive · controlling · imposing · confrontational · belligerent · combative · overbearing · heavy-handed
bravado
Pretense of fearlessness
- blusterLoud, empty boasting
- boastfulnessExcessive pride in oneself
- swaggerConfident, boastful manner
defensiveness · grandiosity · pretension · ostentatious · showy · extravagance · puffery · vainglorious · pompous · arrogance
overdoing
Excessive effort or action
- overcorrectionExcessive corrective action
- overreactionDisproportionate emotional response
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
hyperbole · overindulgence · overspending · overgiving · lavishing · spoiling · overprotecting · overpraising · overworking · overachieving
projection
Something that extends outward
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
displacement · reaction formation · sublimation · avoidance · repression · coping mechanism · defense mechanism · masking · covering · suppression
dominance
Superior influence over others
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
pushy · coercive · controlling · imposing · confrontational · belligerent · combative · overbearing · heavy-handed · steamrolling
- overdoingoverdoing, overindulging, overkill, excess, overreacting
- defense mechanismsdenial, projection, repression, suppression, displacement
- ego behaviorsbragging, boasting, showing off, arrogance, vanity
overcompensatingundercompensating
Providing inadequate recompense
measured response · neglecting · ignoring · balanced · calibrated
overcompensatingsecure
Protected from harm
comfortable in one's skin · genuine · confident · at ease · self-assured
overcompensatingmeasured response
Controlled, proportional reply
calibrated · balanced · appropriate · restrained · moderate