counterphobic

[ koun-ter-foh-bik ]

adjective

, Psychiatry.

1. seeking out a situation that one fears in an attempt to overcome the fear.

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterphobic¹

counter- + -phobic

Example Sentences

“And I started screaming. My brother put me to bed. You could say the rest of my life has been a counterphobic reaction to the fear I felt seeing that episode.”

From New York Times

To undercut the hurt, I tried counterphobic humor.

From Salon