compensation neurosis

American

noun

Psychiatry.

an unconscious attempt to retain physical or psychological symptoms of illness when some advantage may be obtained (malingering ).

Etymology

Origin of compensation neurosis

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He called that hypothetical phenomenon "compensation neurosis," and said its existence has been debated since at least the 1880s when a German researcher found that the number of people who reported being injured in railway accidents skyrocketed after the government started paying compensation for such injuries.

From New York Times

He adds many patients developed "compensation neurosis": unable to do anything but wait for help that never came, or was insufficient when it did, they became consumed by bitterness, alienation and a feeling of worthlessness that frequently turned suicidal.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023