To remove individual characteristics or identity from someone or something, making them lose their uniqueness.
From dis- (prefix meaning to reverse or remove) + individualize (from individual, from Late Latin individualis meaning 'indivisible'). The term emerged in 20th-century psychology and sociology to describe the process of losing personal identity.
This word became particularly important in sociology when studying how large institutions, armies, and corporations can strip away a person's sense of self—it's the opposite of what we usually celebrate in modern culture!
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