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isolation

n.

1. the condition of being separated, such as in social isolation.

2. in psychoanalytic theory, a defense mechanism that relies on keeping unwelcome thoughts and feelings from forming associative links with other thoughts and feelings, with the result that the unwelcome thought is rarely activated. See also compartmentalization.

3. in Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development, see intimacy versus isolation. —isolate vb.

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January 23rd 2025