depersonalisation
dee-PUR-suh-nuh-luh-ZAY-shun
Definition
A psychological state characterized by detachment from or loss of one's own sense of self or identity, often used in professional contexts to describe a feeling of emotional numbness toward those one is serving.
Etymology
Derived from the English prefix 'de-' (meaning reversal or removal) combined with 'personalize' and the suffix '-ation'. It entered English usage in the late 19th century to describe the pathological loss of one's sense of identity or reality.
In the news
In this article, the term is used to explain why standard models of 'job burnout' do not fully apply to parents, as parents generally withdraw from their children rather than dehumanizing or distancing themselves in the detached, clinical way typical of workplace burnout.
Across 42 countries and 17,409 parents, the strongest predictor of parental burnout was not income, inequality or hours of childcare but how individualistic the culture was, with Poland and Belgium highest and Thailand and Cuba lowest
Read the full article ↗Silicon Canals