dissociation: Meaning and Definition of

dis•so•ci•a•tion

1. an act or instance of dissociating.
2. the state of being dissociated; disjunction; separation: the dissociation of church and state.
1. the reversible resolution or decomposition of a complex substance into simpler constituents caused by variation in physical conditions, as when water gradually decomposes into hydrogen and oxygen under great heat in such a way that when the temperature is lowered the liberated elements recombine.
2. Seeelectrolytic dissociation.
4. the splitting off of a group of mental processes from the main body of consciousness, as in amnesia or certain forms of hysteria.