Psychological separation as a phenomenon of interpersonal relations: the problem of definition

This article analyzes various theoretical approaches to understanding the psychological separation. The article defines the meaning of psychological separation and proposes a structure of the phenomenon, which consists of cognitive-behavioral, emotional and communicative components. Cognitive-behavioral component includes the formation of personal identity and autonomy, as well as attitudinal and functional independence. Emotional component of the separation expresses as coping with separation anxiety, guilt for separation and excessive dependence on someone's approval and support, as well as feeling safe in relationships with other people. Communicative component of psychological separation is represented by the transformation of interpersonal relationships which leads to a situation when each of the separated individuals perceives the other as different from themselves, maintaining an emotional connection between them.