Definition of: dissociation

(di·sō′sē·ā′shən, -shē·ā′-) noun
1. The act of dissociating; state of separation.
2. Chem. a The resolution of a compound into simpler constituents by a change in physical state, as by heat or pressure, with recombination when the original conditions are restored. b Electrolytic dissolution.
3. Psychiatry A mental disorder in which one or several groups of ideas become split off from the main body of the personality and are not accessible to conscious control: contrasted with association.