Dissociate Vs Disassociate, How To Use Each One Correctly?

There is a lot of confusion going on with these very similar words. But do not worry. We are here to clear all of your doubts about “dissociate” and “disassociate.” In this article, we talk about how to understand each word and their meaning.

Both words have the same meaning. Essentially, they imply “dissociation.” In one sense, it is a break in the act of how our brain handles information. This can be understood as having little gaps in our memories. On the other hand, it is a feeling of not belonging to a place. Finally, it also refers to the end of an association.

Dissociate

According to the Oxford dictionary, dissociate is the act of separating from an association or a society. This word dates back to the sixteenth century, and it originates from the Latin language.

The word is derived from the Latin words “socius”, “sociare”, and “dissociare.” For those who are not familiar with the Latin language, I will give you a brief explanation of each word. It is important to note that these words were used interchangeably in Latin. Their use was determined by the conjugation needed when used.

• “Socius”: A noun, it translates as “a companion or as the act of having company.” Additionally, it was used to refer to “comrade, friend, or an ally.” It was the description of a relationship or interaction between people.
• “Sociare”: translates as “joined together.” Furthermore, it was used to refer to “share in.”
• “Dissociare”: translates as “break up, be set at variance with, or split into.”

Disassociate

As is the case for “dissociate,” the word derives from “dissociation.” To better explain what this is all about, we should better understand what “dissociation” means.

Many studies have concluded that “disassociation” is the feeling that you do not belong to your body, a place, a group, or to society. In some instances, the feeling of not belonging to any social group can pretty much take a couple of hours a day. As a result, you don’t really know when or for how long you will have this experience.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I think my body does not belong to me because I feel like I’m an outsider trapped in this body?” Similarly, have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t feel like I belong here?” “I want to leave this group right now.” These kinds of thoughts are related to known conditions, such as stress, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and some other personality issues. These experiences generally show proof of trauma that has happened in life.

Here are some symptoms you might experience; these are not limited to:

• Bad memory. You might have gaps at the end of your day.
• Personality changes. This change refers to how you act, dress, or think.
• Having out-of-body experiences.
• Feeling detached or lightheaded.
• Not experiencing pain.

Additionally, some of the triggers we can identify are:

• Having a hard time trying to figure out what you actually want.
• Feeling you are living as an outsider.

Do not hesitate to get help if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. A professional can help you determine what condition you have. Additionally, they will be able to provide treatment that can help you feel better or reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Examples In Sentences

In addition to providing you with synonyms, I would like to demonstrate what you can do with these words. The following are sentences where the words are being used correctly.

• I want to disassociate the whole group from that bad decision we took two years ago.
• Remember, if you want to grow up in life, you will need to disassociate yourself from a few groups of people who won’t help you to grow as a human being.
• I am planning to disassociate myself from all the activities that the council is trying to do in this building.
•  If you want to disassociate yourself from that bad behavior, you will need to change your friends.
• Remember that if you do not detach or disassociate yourself from that specific group, your behavior might be affected, and you will probably go to jail.
• It is not that common, but people often know when to disassociate themselves from a person that is just giving them headaches.
• We cannot disassociate all the projects we have built with this company. At the end of the day, they are the ones that make everything happen.
• Hello Martin, someone from the IT department just asked me if we could disassociate the user from that old computer.
• When I was young, I grew up watching Looney Tunes, and now I find it hard to dissociate this movie and my childhood.
• When you establish a bond with someone that you truly love, it’s really hard to disassociate from that person in a short period of time.
• Something really bad happened, and now he’s trying to dissociate himself from the ongoing investigation.
• My friend is trying so hard not to spend money that he started to dissociate himself from any gatherings or group meetings after work.
• One of the things that you must learn in business school is how to dissociate facts from feelings.
• We need to acknowledge what happened last night because if we do not do that properly, that person could be dissociated from his life outside of the bars.

Synonyms

Because both these words are used to refer to the same meaning, their synonyms are closely related to each other. Below you will be able to see examples of those synonyms. This will help you identify the words in the future.

• Separate
• Detach
• Disconnect
• Sever
• Isolate
• Cut off
• Set Apart
• Divorce
• Part
• Disunite
• Segregate
• Divide

Examples Of Sentences Using The Synonyms

• Laurie decided to open up a bank account separate from her husband. This can be proof of the validity of their breakup.
• Mary said she would love to detach herself from this horrible situation.
• I don’t know why, but I can feel the disconnect between our group and theirs.
• I hope that their relationship is not severed after his cheating announcement.
• She chose to isolate herself. We just didn’t put in any effort to stop her.
• You know what? I will cut off every single relationship I have with everyone here if you don’t stop with your nonsense.
• It is interesting that she chose to set apart those two art pieces. I just assumed she had better taste.
• It has always been said that religion cannot be divorced from morality. I guess the Pope had other ideas.
• I feel as though it is best if we part ways now to avoid damaging our relationship any further.
• Law enforcement decided that it was best to disunite peaceful protesters by broadcasting false reports in the media.
• Before laws were changed, blacks were segregated from whites in most areas of life.
• Did you know that even though the word atoms means indivisible, atoms can be divided?

Conclusion

When we look at the terms “dissociate” and “disassociate,” we may be tempted to believe that they have different meanings due to the difference in their spellings. However, after reading this article, we can see that this could not be further from the truth.

Both these terms share the same meanings. In the first place, it refers to separate or ending an association. Furthermore, it relates to a break in the act of how our brain handles information. Finally, it could also allude to the feeling of not belonging to a place.

After reviewing all of the definitions, examples, and synonyms, we are certain that you won’t have any doubt regarding the usage of the words. We hope you found this article both instructive and entertaining.