Meanings
nounparadoxical intention (uncountable)
- uncountablepsychotherapyA psychotherapeutic technique used to treat anxiety by repeatedly rehearsing the anxiety-inducing pattern of thought or behaviour, often with exaggeration and humor.
Synonyms: PI
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA psychotherapeutic technique used to treat anxiety by repeatedly rehearsing the anxiety-inducing pattern of thought or behaviour, often with exaggeration and humor.
Similar
Origin
Coined by Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
paradoxical intention. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paradoxical%20intention
MLA
“paradoxical intention.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paradoxical%20intention. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “paradoxical intention,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paradoxical%20intention.
Source: paradoxical intention on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.