Dissociation is a psychological state or condition in which certain thoughts, emotions, sensations, or memories are separated from the rest of the psyche. Psychology (Gk: psyche, soul or mind + logos, speech) is an academic and applied field involving the study of the mind, brain, and behavior, both human and nonhuman. ... Thought or thinking is a mental process which allows beings to model the world, and so to deal with it effectively according to their goals, plans, ends and desires. ... It has been suggested that Feeling be merged into this article or section. ... In psychology, sensation is the first stage in the chain of biochemical and neurologic events that begins with the impinging of a stimulus upon the receptor cells of a sensory organ, which then leads to perception, the mental state that is reflected in statements like I see a uniformly blue... Memory is the ability of the brain to store, retain, and subsequently recall information. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

The French psychiatrist Pierre Janet (1859-1947) coined the term in his book L'Automatisme psychologique; he emphasized its role as a defensive maneuver in response to psychological trauma. While he considered dissociation an initially effective defence mechanism that withdraws the individual psychologically from the impact of overwhelming traumatic events, a habitual tendency to dissociate would, however, promote psychopathology. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental and emotional disorders (see mental illness). ... Pierre Marie Félix Janet, (May 30, 1859 - February 24, 1947) was a pioneering French psychiatrist in the field of dissociation and traumatic memory. ... Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event. ... Defense mechanisms are unconscious mechanisms aimed at reducing anxiety that arises from three different scenarios: When the id impulses are in conflict with each other; When the id impulses conflict with superego values and beliefs; When an external threat is posed to the ego. ... Psychopathology is a term which refers to either the study of mental illness or mental distress the manifestation of behaviours and experiences which may be indicative of mental illness or psychological impairment. ...

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition considers symptoms such as depersonalization, derealization, and psychogenic amnesia to be core features of dissociative disorders. However, in the normal population mild dissociative experiences are highly prevalent, with 80% to 90% of the respondents indicating that they have had dissociative experiences at least some of the time. ^{[citation needed]} It has been suggested that DSM cautionary statement be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Depersonalization disorder be merged into this article or section. ... In psychiatry, depersonalization (or derealization) is the experience of feelings of loss of a sense of reality. ... Psychogenic Amnesia is a form of amnesia popularized by popular culture, particularly film. ...

Attention to dissociation as a clinical feature is growing in recent years as a concommitant to knowledge of post-traumatic stress disorder, and as neuroimaging research and population studies show its relevance. Dissociation most often makes the news with regards to soldiers' responses to wartime stress, rape victims with amnesia for details, and in occasional criminal trials where the question of whether a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) can be responsible for his or her actions. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful experiences that the person experiences as highly traumatic. ... Neuroimaging includes the use of various techniques to either directly or indirectly image the structure, function, or pharmacologyof the brain. ... Dissociative identity disorder is a diagnosis described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Revised, as the existence in an individual of two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. ...

Perhaps the most widely-known form of dissociative disorder is DID, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). Dissociation has a storied role in murder trials, or at least in movies about murder, where it is occasionally given as a reason for a "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict.

See also

• Emotional detachment
• Depersonalization
• Fugue
• Dissociative amnesia
• Altered state of consciousness
• Recovered memory therapy

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... It has been suggested that Depersonalization disorder be merged into this article or section. ... For its use in music, see fugue (music). ... Amnesia is a condition in which memory is disturbed. ... An altered state of consciousness is any state which is significantly different from a normative waking beta wave state. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Repressed memory. ...

External links

• International Society for the Study of Dissociation A society that advances the formal study of dissociation and dissociative disorders.