The gradual process of becoming estranged from something once familiar, watching it become foreign through time or distance. It's the emotional experience of familiar things becoming strange.
From Greek 'xenos' (stranger) with suffix '-ization' indicating a process. The term describes the psychological transformation where familiar becomes foreign through changing perspective or circumstances.
This reflects how our brains constantly update their models of reality - when we change or grow, previously familiar environments or relationships can trigger the same neural responses as genuinely foreign stimuli. It's why returning home after major life changes can feel so disorienting!
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