dissociation

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act of dissociating or disuniting; a state of separation; disunion.

   “A general observation in memory studies of individuals with ASD is that they tend to experience greater difficulties on tests of free recall than tests of recognition or cued recall (Boucher, Mayes, & Bigham, 2012). In its own right, this pattern suggests greater difficulties with retrieval through recollection than through familiarity, but there is also more direct evidence for this dissociation.”

2. (countable, uncountable)The process by which a compound body breaks up into simpler constituents; said particularly of the action of heat on gaseous or volatile substances.

   “the dissociation of the sulphur molecules”

   “the dissociation of ammonium chloride into hydrochloric acid and ammonia”

3. (countable, uncountable)A defence mechanism where certain thoughts or mental processes are compartmentalised in order to avoid emotional stress to the conscious mind.

   “Project MONARCH could be best described as a form of structured dissociation and occultic integration, carried out in order to compartmentalize the mind into multiple personalities within a systematic framework.”