externalizer

American

[ik-stur-nl-ahy-zer] / ɪkˈstɜr nlˌaɪ zər /

noun

Psychology.

a person who draws a locus of control from the external world, depending on others as a source of values, ideas, and security.

Etymology

Origin of externalizer

externalize + -er ¹

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.

She is a relentless externalizer, which infuses her plots with a certain energy; but many of her characters do things for reasons they don’t seem to understand themselves, and the reader ends up little wiser.

From The New Yorker

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