overjustering

Overjustering, sometimes written överjustering in Swedish, refers to a tendency to adjust one’s behavior, beliefs, or responses to a perceived threat or change to an excessive degree. The term combines the words for “over” and “adjustment” and is used in various contexts to describe maladaptive or overly rapid changes in how a person acts.

Etymology and usage: The expression is common in Swedish and Norwegian discourse and appears in clinical, educational, and everyday language. It is not a formal diagnostic category in standard psychiatric manuals, but it is used to convey a pattern of coping or reaction that is disproportionate to the stimulus or situation.

In psychology and rehabilitation: In clinical and research contexts, overjustering describes a coping pattern where individuals excessively alter their behavior after a stressful event. This can lead to avoidance, heightened anxiety, or the development of phobic or restricted behaviors. Examples include excessive safety precautions, withdrawal from previously manageable activities, or rigid adherence to perceived rules. The phenomenon is often linked to fear conditioning, avoidance learning, and maladaptive coping strategies.

In other domains: The term can also appear in engineering and decision-making to describe overcorrection in a feedback process—where responses overshoot the target, causing instability or oscillations. In such settings, remedies focus on proper tuning, dampening, and preventing integral windup.

Treatment and management: Addressing overjustering typically involves approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy, gradual exposure, psychoeducation, and strategies to recalibrate risk assessment and tolerance for uncertainty. In technical contexts, redesign or retuning of control systems helps prevent overadjustment.