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Differentiation

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

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Synonyms

Articulation; Complexity; Individuation

Definition

Differentiation refers to a process of change in a system toward greater complexity or the result of such a process (i.e., the complexity of a system’s structure); in a somewhat narrower sense, differentiation is concerned with the number of specialized elements in a complex system.

Introduction

The concept of differentiation has long been central to several psychological theories. Witkin et al. (1962) discuss the notion of psychological differentiation, viewed as an organism-wide process of development toward greater psychological complexity. At the core of Bowen’s (1978) family system theory and therapy is the concept of differentiation of self, considered as a key aspect in the process of emotional development and maturing. Child psychology and psychoanalysis use the term differentiation interchangeably with the term individuation to denote a process through which a child develops a self (e.g., Mahler et al. 1975). In all...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland

    Aleksandra Pilarska

Authors
  1. Aleksandra Pilarska
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aleksandra Pilarska .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of South Carolina – Beaufort, Bluffton, SC, USA

    Carey Fitzgerald

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Pilarska, A. (2018). Differentiation. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2409-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2409-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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