self-alienation
noun
self-alien·ation
ˌself-ˌā-lē-ə-ˈnā-shən 
-ˌāl-yə-
: alienation by or from oneself or itself: such as
a
: the act or process of causing oneself to become alienated from others
… many school-age children already possess the social hesitations and aversive tendencies that will come to characterize them more clearly in later life. But for many other youngsters, the rudiments of social withdrawal and self-alienation have only developed minimally when they first encounter the challenges of peer-group activities.—
Theodore Millon et al.
Theodore Millon et al.Such conflicts tarnish Russia's image, while the benefits of steady self-alienation from the West are hard to identify.—Masha Lipman
Masha Lipman
b
: a sense of detachment from or a lack of awareness of one's own thoughts, emotions, or identity
feelings of self-alienation
Although some level of self-alienation is inevitable, when present to a great extent this mismatch could lead to psychopathology. The "subjective feeling of not knowing oneself, or feeling out of touch with our true self" … is indicative of this aspect.—Simon Grégoire et al.
Simon Grégoire et al.… asked people to rate themselves on three factors: authentic living ("I live in accordance with my values and beliefs"), self-alienation ("I feel out of touch with the 'real me'"), and acceptance of external influence ("I always feel I need to do what others expect me to do").—Scott Barry Kaufman
Scott Barry KaufmanExamples of self-alienation in a Sentence
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Masculine self-alienation transforms into something that looks more like closeted queerness and body dysphoria.
—Noah Berlatsky, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023
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Noah Berlatsky, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Self-alienation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-alienation. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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