dissociation
dih-soh-shee-AY-shuhn
/dɪˌsoʊ.siˈeɪ.ʃən/
A mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity.
Ranges from mild daydreaming to clinical detachment from physical reality following trauma.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'dis-' (away/apart) and 'socius' (companion/ally). It literally means breaking a partnership, describing how the mind splits off awareness from painful experience.
Word relationships
- detachment: Detachment can be an objective attitude; dissociation implies a disruption in psychological integration.
- disconnection: Disconnection is broad; dissociation is a clinical term for fragmented consciousness.
- integration: The unified functioning of mind, memory, and perception.
Commonly confused with
- association: Association connects ideas or feelings; dissociation severs those connections.
Word family
- dissociate (verb): To disconnect or separate mental processes.
- dissociative (adjective): Relating to or causing psychological detachment.
Collocations
- experience dissociation
- peritraumatic dissociation
- severe dissociation
- dissociation symptoms
Example sentences
- "Severe psychological shock can trigger trauma-induced dissociation as a defense mechanism." Clinical Psychiatry
Memory hook
DIS-SOCIATE = DIS-connecting from your internal SOCIE-ty of thoughts. Disconnecting from reality.
When not to use
Do not confuse with casual distraction or simple forgetfulness.
Fun facts
- French physician Pierre Janet coined the psychological concept of dissociation in the late 19th century.
Related words
Explore more words
disengagement, detach, escapism, disoriented, neurosis, amnesia
Also appears in
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