Undoing (psychology)

Undoing is a defence mechanism in which a person tries to 'undo' an unhealthy, destructive or otherwise threatening thought by engaging in contrary behaviour. For example, after thinking about being violent with someone, one would then be overly nice or accommodating to them. It is one of several defence mechanisms proposed by the noted psychiatrist Sigmund Freud during his career, many of which were later developed further by his daughter Anna Freud.

Undoing can be used to 'explain away' habits or behaviours that are not in line with an individuals' personality. For example, in the case of a person who is well organised in the workplace, yet always forgets to pay bills on time at home, Freudian psychologists could argue that his tardiness with bills is an undoing of his desire to be orderly. Freud's theory has been criticised because of examples such as this, due to the fact that his theory is so complicated most problems can be explained by another part of the theory.

For some people undoing can be used to reduce cognitive dissonance, the uncomfortable feeling created when an attitude and an action, or two attitudes are in conflict with one another.

In criminal profiling the term refers to a pattern of behavior by which an offender tries to undo their crime symbolically, e.g. by painting the face of a person killed by the perpetrator, covering up and decorating the corpse with flowers, personal belongings and jewelery, or folding the hands, imitating a laying-out.