depersonalization

depersonalization
/dee perr'seuh nl euh zay"sheuhn/, n.
1. the act of depersonalizing.
2. the state of being depersonalized.
3. Psychiatry. a state in which one no longer perceives the reality of one's self or one's environment.
[1905-10; DEPERSONALIZE + -ATION]

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      in psychology, a state in which an individual feels that either he himself or the outside world is unreal. In addition to a sense of unreality, depersonalization may involve the feeling that one's mind is dissociated from one's body; that the body extremities have changed in relative size; that one sees oneself from a distance; or that one has become a machine.

      Mild feelings of depersonalization occur during the normal processes of personality integration and individuation in a high percentage of adolescents and young adults, and it need not impair social or psychological functioning. Such feelings may also occur in adults after long periods of emotional stress. When significant social or occupational impairment continues, however, an individual is considered to have a disorder that should be treated. Feelings of depersonalization may also be present as features of some personality disorders (personality disorder) and as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

      Depersonalization as a characteristic of psychological disorder is a prominent theme in existential and neoanalytic theories of personality. The British psychoanalyst R.D. Laing (Laing, R.D.), for example, described depersonalization—experiencing oneself as invisible—as a defensive response to a pervasive sense of danger.

      The term depersonalization has also been used to refer to social alienation resulting from the loss of individuation in the workplace and the community.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • depersonalization — 1907; see DE (Cf. de ) + PERSONALIZATION (Cf. personalization). Related: Depersonalize; depersonalized …   Etymology dictionary

  • depersonalization — (Amer.) n. removal of individual traits and identity; act of making impersonal (also depersonalisation) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Depersonalization — This article is about the psychological symptom. For the diagnosis, see depersonalization disorder. Depersonalization (or depersonalisation) is an anomaly of the mechanism by which an individual has self awareness. It is a feeling of watching… …   Wikipedia

  • Depersonalization —    The term depersonalization, meaning the feeling that one’s being and thoughts are unreal, was coined by French philosopher Ludovic Dugas (1857–?) in the Revue philosophique in 1898: I should define as alienation of the personality or… …   Historical dictionary of Psychiatry

  • depersonalization — A state in which one loses the feeling of one s own identity in relation to others in one s family or peer group, or loses the feeling of one s own reality. SYN: d. syndrome. * * * de·per·son·al·iza·tion or Brit de·per·son·al·isa·tion (.)dē .pər… …   Medical dictionary

  • depersonalization — noun a) the act of depersonalizing or the state of being depersonalized He was in a critical state of depersonalization. b) the loss of ones sense of personal identity His depersonalization causes a great deal of stress as he searches for an… …   Wiktionary

  • depersonalization — n. a state in which a person feels himself becoming unreal or strangely altered, or feels that his mind is becoming separated from his body. Minor degrees of this feeling are common in normal people under stress. Severe feelings of… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Depersonalization disorder — Classification and external resources ICD 10 F48.1 ICD 9 300.6 …   Wikipedia

  • depersonalization disorder — noun emotional dissociative disorder in which there is loss of contact with your own personal reality accompanied by feelings of unreality and strangeness • Syn: ↑depersonalization, ↑depersonalisation, ↑depersonalisation disorder,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • depersonalization neurosis — noun emotional dissociative disorder in which there is loss of contact with your own personal reality accompanied by feelings of unreality and strangeness • Syn: ↑depersonalization, ↑depersonalisation, ↑depersonalization disorder,… …   Useful english dictionary

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