intellectualization /in′təlek′cho̅o̅·əlīzā″shən/ [L, intellectus + Gk, izein, to cause] , 1. (in psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which reasoning is used as a means of blocking a confrontation with an unconscious conflict and the emotional stress associated with it. 2. the overuse of abstract thinking or generalizations to control or minimize painful feelings.
