A psychological defense mechanism where conflicting beliefs, emotions, or aspects of life are kept mentally separate to avoid psychological discomfort. It allows people to function by not integrating contradictory information.
From French 'compartiment' (separated section) plus '-alization,' entering psychology in the mid-20th century. The term borrowed from physical compartments in ships or buildings to describe how the mind creates separate 'sections' for conflicting thoughts or experiences.
Compartmentalization is like having multiple personality filing cabinets that never talk to each other! While it can be adaptive (like separating work stress from family time), extreme compartmentalization can lead to a fragmented sense of self and difficulty making integrated decisions.
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