anaclisis /an′əklī″sis/ [Gk, ana + klisis, leaning] , 1. a condition, normal in childhood but pathological in adulthood, in which a person is emotionally dependent on other people. 2. a condition in which a person consciously or unconsciously chooses a love object because of a resemblance to the mother, father, or another person who was an important source of comfort and protection in infancy. −anaclitic, adj.
