externalisera

Externalisera is a Swedish verb meaning to render something external, or to attribute, shift, or expose effects, costs, or causes to an external source. The term is used across disciplines with related but distinct senses, often involving the idea of moving responsibility or impact away from an internal domain.

In psychology, externalisering (the noun form) refers to a process or tendency to project internal states onto external actors or situations, such as blaming others for one’s own feelings or problems. It is discussed as a defense mechanism or a pattern in behavioral and clinical contexts. In economics and policy, externalisera denotes shifting costs or negative impacts onto third parties or the environment rather than bearing them within the decision-maker’s own system; the opposite concept is internalisering, or internalization. In information technology and software design, the term can describe making internal components, data, or services available to external systems through interfaces or APIs, or organizing systems so that certain aspects are handled outside the core module.

Etymology traces externalisera to the adjective externalus (external) via the Swedish prefix external- and the verb-forming ending -era. The related noun externalisering is common in social sciences and psychology, while internalisering is its counterpart.

See also: externalization, internalization, projection, external costs, corporate social responsibility.