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Noun: compartmentalisation  kum,paa(r)t,men-t(u)l-u'zey-shun [N. Amer], ,kóm,paa(r)t,men-t(u)l-I'zey-shun [Brit]
Usage: Brit (N. Amer: compartmentalization)
  1. The act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same type
    "The librarian's compartmentalisation of books made them easier to find";
    - categorization, categorisation [Brit], classification, compartmentalization, assortment
     
  2. (psychology) a defence mechanism where thoughts, feelings, or memories are separated into isolated sections in the mind
    "Her compartmentalisation allowed her to function at work despite personal trauma";
    - compartmentalization

Derived forms: compartmentalisations

Type of: disassociation, dissociation, grouping

Encyclopedia: Compartmentalisation