identification

[ ahy-den-tuh-fi-key-shuhn, ih-den- ]
/ aɪˌdɛn tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən, ɪˌdɛn- /

noun

an act or instance of identifying; the state of being identified.
something that identifies a person, animal, or thing: He carries identification with him at all times.
Sociology. acceptance as one's own of the values and interests of a social group.
Psychology.
  1. a process by which one ascribes to oneself the qualities or characteristics of another person.
  2. (in psychoanalytic theory) the transference or reaction to one person with the feelings or responses relevant to another, as the identification of a teacher with a parent.
  3. perception of another as an extension of oneself.

Origin of identification

First recorded in 1635–45; identi(fy) + -fication

OTHER WORDS FROM identification

non·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun o·ver·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun pre·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun re·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun

Example sentences from the Web for identification

British Dictionary definitions for identification

identification
/ (aɪˌdɛntɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /

noun

the act of identifying or the state of being identified
  1. something that identifies a person or thing
  2. (as modifier)an identification card
psychol
  1. the process of recognizing specific objects as the result of remembering
  2. the process by which one incorporates aspects of another person's personalitySee also empathy
  3. the transferring of a response from one situation to another because the two bear similar featuresSee also generalization (def. 3)

Medical definitions for identification

identification
[ ī-dĕn′tə-fĭ-kāshən ]

n.

A person's association with the qualities, characteristics, or views of another person or group.
An unconscious process by which a person transfers the response appropriate to a particular person or group to a different person or group.