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Noun: idealisation  I,dee-u-lI'zey-shun
Usage: Brit (N. Amer: idealization)
  1. Something that exists only as an idea
    "His idealisation of rural life didn't match the reality";
    - idealization
     
  2. A portrayal of something as ideal
    "the idealisation of rural life was very misleading";
    - idealization, glorification
     
  3. (psychiatry) a defence mechanism that splits something you are ambivalent about into two representations — one good and one bad
    "Her idealisation of her childhood memories made it difficult to address past traumas";
    - idealization

Derived forms: idealisations

Type of: admiration, appreciation, defence [Brit, Cdn], defence mechanism [Brit, Cdn], defence reaction [Brit, Cdn], defense [US], defense mechanism [US], defense reaction [US], idea, thought

Encyclopedia: Idealisation