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