loosening of associations


loosening

 [loo´sen-ing] freeing from restraint or strictness.loosening of associations in psychiatry, a disorder of thinking in which associations of ideas become so shortened, fragmented, and disturbed as to lack logical relationship.

loosening of associations

Psychiatry Disordered thinking in which ideas shift from one subject to another in an oblique or unrelated manner, without the speaker being aware of same; when severe, speech may be incoherent. Cf Flight of ideas.

loose as·so·ci·a·tions

(lūs ă-sō'sē-ā'shŭnz) A manifestation of a severe thought disorder whereby the patient's responses do not relate to the interviewer's questions or one paragraph, sentence, or phrase is not logically connected to those that occur before or after.
Synonym(s): loosening of associations.