externalization.

1. The giving of outward form or expression to an internal thought, feeling or experience.

2. The attribution of responsibility, motives or causes to sources outside oneself.

3. The shifting of costs or burdens from an actor onto other parties or the wider environment.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• externalization of emotion
• externalization through writing

On the page

Writing became an externalization of grief that she could not yet discuss aloud.

The performance allowed externalization of conflicting feelings without resolving them.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation, interpersonal behavior, self-evaluation. Disciplines: psychology, human behavior, character writing. Commonness: uncommon.