Meaning & use
individuation
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
In psychology, the process by which a person develops a distinct, integrated personality, separate from the group or from other people.
Grammar: Not used with an or an: the individuation of a teenager, not an individuation.
Patterns
- individuation of someone
- the process of individuation
Jung described individuation as a lifelong path toward becoming a whole person.
Moving away from home was an important step in her individuation.
Teenagers often struggle with individuation while still living with their parents.
noununcountabletechnical
The act of making something distinct or treating it as a separate individual, especially in philosophy or biology.
Grammar: Often followed by of, naming the thing being separated.
Patterns
- the individuation of something
The philosopher wrote about the individuation of objects in space and time.
In embryology, individuation refers to the way separate parts become distinct.
The individuation of each worker's task made the system clearer.
Common combinations
- process of individuation
- The process of individuation takes many years.
- psychological individuation
- Psychological individuation is a core idea in Jungian thought.
- individuation and separation
- Adolescence is a time of individuation and separation from parents.
- principle of individuation
- Philosophers still debate the principle of individuation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- self-realization
- Self-realization is a broader, everyday term for fulfilling your potential, while individuation is a more technical idea about becoming a separate whole self.
- differentiation
- Differentiation is about becoming different from something else, whereas individuation stresses forming a unique individual.
- maturation
- Maturation is about growing up generally, while individuation focuses on forming a distinct personality.
Opposites
Word family
- individual noun
- a single person considered separately from a group
- individual adjective
- relating to one person or thing
- individualize verb
- to make something suit one person
- individuate verb
- to form into a distinct individual
- individuality noun
- the qualities that make someone different from others
Commonly confused: individuation or individualism?
individuation vs individualism
Individualism is a belief that personal freedom matters more than group pressure, while individuation is the process of forming a distinct self.
Practice
Jung used the term ____ for the process of becoming a whole and distinct self.
Choose one answer.
Individuation is the process of forming a distinct, integrated self. Isolation means being alone, which is a tempting but wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “individuation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.