Skip to content
  • Mental Health Issues
    • Anxiety
    • ADHD
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Depression
    • Grief
    • Narcissism
    • OCD
    • Personality Disorders
    • PTSD
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Marriage
    • Sex & Intimacy
    • Infidelity
    • Relationships 101
    • Best Online Couples Counseling Services
  • Wellness
    • Anger
    • Burnout
    • Stress
    • Sleep
    • Meditation
    • Mindfulness
    • Yoga
  • Therapy
    • Starting Therapy
    • Types of Therapy
    • Best Online Therapy Providers
    • Online Therapy Reviews & Guides
  • Medication
    • Anxiety Medication
    • Depression Medication
    • ADHD Medication
    • Best Online Psychiatrist Options
  • Reviews
    • Best Online Therapy
    • Best Online Therapy with Insurance
    • Best Online Therapy for Teens
    • Best Online Therapy for Anxiety
    • Best Online Therapy for Depression
    • Best Online ADHD Treatments
    • Best Online Psychiatry
    • Best Mental Health Apps
    • All Reviews
  • Therapy Worksheets
    • Anxiety Worksheets
    • Depression Worksheets
    • Relationship Worksheets
    • CBT Worksheets
    • Therapy Worksheets for Kids
    • Therapy Worksheets for Teens
    • ADHD Worksheets
    • All Therapy Worksheets
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Policy
    • Advertising Policy
    • Find a Local Therapist
    • Join Our Free Directory

Join our Newsletter

Get helpful tips and the latest information

Choosing Therapy on Facebook
Choosing Therapy on Instagram
Choosing Therapy on Twitter
Choosing Therapy on Linkedin
Choosing Therapy on Pinterest
Choosing Therapy on Tiktok
Choosing Therapy on Youtube
ChoosingTherapy.com Logo

Newsletter

Search Icon
  • Mental Health Issues
    • Anxiety
    • ADHD
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Depression
    • Grief
    • Narcissism
    • OCD
    • Personality Disorders
    • PTSD
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Marriage
    • Sex & Intimacy
    • Infidelity
    • Relationships 101
    • Best Online Couples Counseling Services
  • Wellness
    • Anger
    • Burnout
    • Stress
    • Sleep
    • Meditation
    • Mindfulness
    • Yoga
  • Therapy
    • Starting Therapy
    • Types of Therapy
    • Best Online Therapy Providers
    • Online Therapy Reviews & Guides
  • Medication
    • Anxiety Medication
    • Depression Medication
    • ADHD Medication
    • Best Online Psychiatrist Options
  • Reviews
    • Best Online Therapy
    • Best Online Therapy with Insurance
    • Best Online Therapy for Teens
    • Best Online Therapy for Anxiety
    • Best Online Therapy for Depression
    • Best Online ADHD Treatments
    • Best Online Psychiatry
    • Best Mental Health Apps
    • All Reviews
  • Therapy Worksheets
    • Anxiety Worksheets
    • Depression Worksheets
    • Relationship Worksheets
    • CBT Worksheets
    • Therapy Worksheets for Kids
    • Therapy Worksheets for Teens
    • ADHD Worksheets
    • All Therapy Worksheets
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Policy
    • Advertising Policy
    • Find a Local Therapist
    • Join Our Free Directory
  • What Is Compartmentalization?What Is Compartmentalization?
  • ExamplesExamples
  • In PsychologyIn Psychology
  • Is It Ever Healthy?Is It Ever Healthy?
  • When Does It Become Unhealthy?When Does It Become Unhealthy?
  • Other Coping MechanismsOther Coping Mechanisms
  • Overcoming It in a Positive WayOvercoming It in a Positive Way
  • ConclusionConclusion
  • InfographicsInfographics
  • Additional ResourcesAdditional Resources
Self Help Articles Self Care Emotional Self Care Types of Self Care

What Does It Mean to Compartmentalize?

Headshot of Krista Jordan Remington, PhD

Author: Krista Jordan, PhD

Headshot of Krista Jordan Remington, PhD

Krista Jordan PhD

Dr. Jordan specializes in attachment-based therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and interpersonal neurobiology, with a focus on relationship issues, self-esteem, and family dynamics. She’s an educator and consultant in her field.

See My Bio Editorial Policy
Headshot of Kristen Fuller, MD

Medical Reviewer: Kristen Fuller, MD Licensed medical reviewer

Headshot of Kristen Fuller, MD

Kristen Fuller MD

Kristen Fuller, MD is a physician with experience in adult, adolescent, and OB/GYN medicine. She has a focus on mood disorders, eating disorders, substance use disorder, and reducing the stigma associated with mental health.

See My Bio Editorial Policy
Published: August 18, 2022
  • What Is Compartmentalization?What Is Compartmentalization?
  • ExamplesExamples
  • In PsychologyIn Psychology
  • Is It Ever Healthy?Is It Ever Healthy?
  • When Does It Become Unhealthy?When Does It Become Unhealthy?
  • Other Coping MechanismsOther Coping Mechanisms
  • Overcoming It in a Positive WayOvercoming It in a Positive Way
  • ConclusionConclusion
  • InfographicsInfographics
  • Additional ResourcesAdditional Resources

Compartmentalization is a defense mechanism used by people to avoid dissonance and anxiety in everyday life, including at work, home, school, and in relationships. When overused or used unconsciously, it can be a maladaptive coping strategy that prevents people from processing their negative experiences. There are many ways to restructure your responses to dissonance and stress, including radical acceptance, journaling, and professional help.

What Is Compartmentalization?

Compartmentalization, a term coined by Sigmund Freud, is a defense mechanism, which is a strategy the psyche uses to avoid feeling anxiety, especially related to internal conflicts.1 With compartmentalization, the person separates feelings or thoughts that contradict each other into different “compartments” in order to avoid the cognitive dissonance that arises when a thought or feeling we have starts to contradict a different thought or feeling that we are also aware of.2

ADVERTISEMENT

Do Your Emotions Feel Extreme?

Therapy can help you be less reactive and calmer. BetterHelp has over 30,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $65 per week and is FSA/HSA eligible by most providers. Take a free online assessment and get matched with the right therapist for you.

Free Assessment

Compartmentalization in Everyday Life

People compartmentalize frequently in their everyday life to avoid the stress and anxiety associated with conflicting thoughts or feelings, often in different areas, such as work, school, family, and other obligations.

To better explain compartmentalization let’s look at some examples in everyday life:

Compartmentalization in Relationships

We may use compartmentalization in relationships if we are trying to manage cognitive dissonance related to our partner. While this can help us avoid minor conflicts that may not be worth fighting about in a long-term, committed partnership, it can be a real problem in courtship or dating. The purpose of dating is to evaluate a potential partner to see if they are a good long-term fit for us. While we are getting to know someone, we may learn things about them that we don’t like. We can be motivated to eliminate the cognitive dissonance by taking the distressing thought or emotion and locking it away in a compartment, which helps us preserve a positive image of the other person. This is often what people mean when they later say “I ignored the red flags when I was getting to know them.” Typically, the person is not ignoring the flags, but rather compartmentalizing them. Keep in mind that this can happen in all relationships, including with friends and family.

Some examples of compartmentalization in relationships include:

  • Disagreeing about politics: If you disagree with your partner’s politics, you may choose not to think about it and avoid talking to them about that subject to preserve a positive relationship
  • Disagreeing about friendships: If you disagree with your partner, parents, or friends about whether you should be friends with another person, you may avoid the subject altogether to avoid conflict
  • Attitudes towards pets: If the person I have been dating for 6 months, who I believe myself to be in love with, turns out to be mean to my new dog, I may compartmentalize this experience to stay in the relationship and avoid interactions between the two of them

Compartmentalization in Politics

You may have experienced compartmentalization in politics, as many people frequently do. If you typically support and vote for a particular political party but, during an election cycle, that party espouses a policy that is likely to severely reduce your financial stability, you may experience cognitive dissonance. While you may agree with the rest of the policies and overall messaging, at this time, you have become aware that one of their agendas may cause you significant economic harm.

This often leads you to experience cognitive dissonance, in which you will either have to change your mind on which party to endorse, or decide that the economic harm is not going to be bad enough to outweigh the reasons you support the party. A third option would be to put the financial aspect out of your mind completely–compartmentalize it–and continue to support your usual political party.

Compartmentalization at Work

The demands of work can also encourage compartmentalization when we need to focus on being productive and block out personal stressors or distractions. People often feel distracted by personal thoughts or feelings they need to set aside to get work done. Another way of compartmentalizing at work is by developing “ego states,” such as one’s “work self” and “home self.”3 For example, an athletic coach may have a “coach persona” that is very tough and stern; they may yell at athletes during games and push them to exhaustion in practices. However, they may drop this “coach persona” at home and opt for a softer and relational demeanor with their spouse and children.

While this is typically helpful, for some, it could become part of a pattern of engaging in questionable behaviors while in certain roles. For example, if part of the “coach persona” is going out with other coaches after a game and drinking excessively, they may justify that as “what coaches do,” even if it conflicts with their “home self.” In this way, compartmentalization helps us avoid acknowledging that what we do in one context may still matter in other contexts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Top Rated Online Therapy Services

BetterHelp  – Best Overall

“BetterHelp is an online therapy platform that quickly connects you with a licensed counselor or therapist and earned 4 out of 5 stars.” Take a free assessment

Online-Therapy.com – Great Alternative

In addition to therapy, all Online-Therapy.com subscriptions include a self-guided CBT course. Visit Online-Therapy.com

Compartmentalization in Psychology and Mental Health

Sigmund Freud identified compartmentalization as a way that the psyche avoids making connections between pieces of information when that connection would be distressing.4 Freud believed that this defense develops in children between the ages of 18 months to 5 years, and that people continue to use it into adulthood. While many mental health professionals nowadays do not identify as Freudian, they tend to define compartmentalization in the same way Freud did.

Non-mental health professionals may describe compartmentalization slightly differently, but essentially both groups conceptualize it as pieces of information sealed away in compartments to avoid distress. Unhealthy uses of compartmentalization can lead to avoidance of important issues or problems, as well as self-destructive behaviors, which is what therapists and clients seek to address and change in therapy.

Does Compartmentalization Happen After Trauma?

Compartmentalization can also be a defense mechanism used to manage traumatic experiences. Often after something traumatic has occurred a person has upsetting thoughts or feelings that are painful, which can be compartmentalized so that they don’t have to be experienced as frequently. Unfortunately, if these experiences and the associated thoughts and feelings are not processed therapeutically, they can be “triggered” into awareness accidentally. For example, if you compartmentalize the intense fear stemming from a life-threatening car accident, you may be able to continue driving to work every day; however, you may also be triggered by the sound of someone slamming on their breaks, which often leads to the compartmentalized emotion to resurface suddenly and cause severe distress.

Another way that trauma survivors compartmentalize is by sealing away conflicting information about their trauma. For example, if you are sexually assaulted, you may compartmentalize the helplessness experienced during the assault to preserve your self-esteem. If you normally think of yourself as a strong person, but you suffer an assault during which you could not defend yourself, you might compartmentalize those feelings of helplessness to avoid feeling “weak.” While this can help in the short-term, it tends to be detrimental in the long run, as the things stored in compartments are capable of coming out unintentionally.

Do People Compartmentalize as Part of Addiction?

When a person is suffering from an addiction, they are eventually going to do things that go against their beliefs, values, morals, relationships and commitments, which often leads to cognitive dissonance and compartmentalization. Someone struggling with addiction may jeopardize their career, ruin their finances, and cause their families agony as a result of their illness. These consequences, and the thoughts and feelings of guilt and shame that accompany them, must be sealed in a compartment in order for the person to continue to pursue their addiction. However, because the person is still the same at their core, they continue to value their job, love their spouse, want financial security, and see themselves as a moral person overall. This is the benefit of compartmentalization to the individual; it can allow both sides of them to exist.

Part of the successful treatment of addiction is reducing a person’s capacity to compartmentalize in unhealthy ways, so that when they start thinking, feeling, or acting in ways that contradict their values and beliefs, they can feel and act on the anxiety and dissonance. Reshaping these thought patterns is central to stopping the addictive behavior. Many addicts report a phase in recovery where they connect to the painful feelings associated with their previous behaviors and marvel at how they could have done so much damage to their lives, which is often explained by their defense mechanisms, including compartmentalization.

Is Compartmentalization Ever Healthy?

While some may use compartmentalization as a negative coping mechanism, compartmentalization can be helpful. Essentially, when we have things we need to do, but our current emotional state interferes with the task, it can be helpful to compartmentalize that feeling temporarily in order to be productive. If done consciously and sporadically, compartmentalizing can be adaptive to facilitate productivity and better functioning. We all have bad days on the personal front and need to be able to set those issues aside to perform at work, but it is important that once the work day is over we can return to the thoughts and feelings that we put into the compartment. Otherwise they can be repressed, and then tend to come out in other ways subconsciously, often with unintended negative effects.

Some examples of healthy compartmentalization are:

  • Medical personnel performing their job duties; for example suspending physical and emotional empathy during painful procedures (i.e., your surgeon could not make the incision to remove an appendix while staying closely connected to feeling your fear or physical pain), etc.
  • Military personnel compartmentalizing their fear and trauma on the battlefield in order to be effective soldiers
  • Compartmentalizing frustration from an argument with one’s spouse so that you do not take out your anger on your co-workers once you get to work
  • Setting anxiety about a work project aside and opting to play video games instead, as a way to calm your mind.

When Is Compartmentalization Unhealthy?

Defense mechanisms like compartmentalization can become problematic when they are over-used and become reflexive. When we are unaware of what we are doing, and do it much of the time, it can turn from an adaptive strategy to a problematic one. In general, compartmentalization is best when you know you are doing it, you make a decision to use it for a short period of time, and you don’t use it all the time. It is important to come back to the thoughts and feelings later and process them in order to avoid the change from a positive coping mechanism to a negative one.

Some examples of unhealthy compartmentalization include:

  • A husband compartmentalizing his love for his wife so he can flirt with a colleague, which could hurt his marriage and conflicts with his self-image
  • A physician compartmentalizing all of their empathy and emotion towards patients, which could negatively impact their bedside manners

How Else Do People Cope With Cognitive Dissonance?

Compartmentalization is just one of many ways people cope with cognitive dissonance. People can lean on negative coping mechanisms, like displacement or rationalization, or find healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with cognitive dissonance, such as addressing the root of your dissonance as it occurs. For example, if I believe in environmentalism, but find out the company I work for has poor environmental policies, I could approach the management and make suggestions to change some of those policies to be more pro-environment, or quit my job in favor of one that aligns with my beliefs.

Other adaptive behaviors to cope with cognitive dissonance include:

  • Adjusting behavior or expectations to reduce the dissonance
  • Radical acceptance
  • Assertiveness
  • Cognitive reframing

Non-adaptive ways to cope with cognitive dissonance include:

  • Projection
  • Denial
  • Suppression
  • Displacement

ADVERTISEMENT

Therapists Can Help You Break Old Habits and Create New Ones.

BetterHelp has over 30,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $65 per week and is FSA/HSA eligible by most providers. Take a free online assessment and get matched with the right therapist for you.

Free Assessment

Overcoming Cognitive Dissonance in a Positive Way

Compartmentalization was conceptualized as an unconscious defense mechanism, which means that oftentimes, we have compartmentalized our dissonance and may not be aware that it exists. The goal of therapy when dealing with compartmentalization and unconscious behavior is simply to help you understand the distressing thoughts or feelings you are trying to avoid and which defenses you are using at a given time, to then make a decision about whether or not that defense is working for you. Therapists and other mental health professionals can help you identify when you are experiencing cognitive dissonance and discuss ways in which you can work to reduce it in a way that won’t make you feel overwhelmed.

In this case, the therapist can help by gently confronting the compartmentalization in a safe space and bringing your awareness to the thoughts or feelings that you are keeping out of reach. Once you identify those thoughts and emotions, you and your therapist will be better able to work together to create more positive strategies. You can explore finding a therapist in a number of ways: via your trusted social circles, insurance, or an online directory. If you are compartmentalizing as a result of addiction, make sure to find a support group near you or find an online support group to join.

Concluding Thoughts

The world is a stressful and complex place where we’re bound to feel overwhelmed, so it is only natural that people develop coping mechanisms to navigate their lives. While compartmentalization can be healthy when used in moderation and with intention, over-compartmentalizing, or doing so unconsciously, can be detrimental to one’s growth. If you find yourself in that situation, try to be compassionate and remember that your psyche is just trying to manage difficult and conflicted thoughts and feelings. There are many ways to cope with trauma, stress, and dissonance, such as journaling, addressing the causes of your dissonance and anxiety, and getting professional help.

 Compartmentalization Infographics

What is Compartmentalization Comparmentalization is Psychology and Mental Health Therapy Can Help Someone Overcome Cognitive Dissonance in a Positive Way

Additional Resources

To help our readers take the next step in their mental health journey, ChoosingTherapy.com has partnered with leaders in mental health and wellness. ChoosingTherapy.com is compensated for marketing by the companies included below.

Therapy for Anxiety & Medication Management

Brightside Health – develops personalized plans that are unique to you and offers 1 on 1 support from start to finish. Brightside Health accepts United Healthcare, Anthem, Cigna, and Aetna. Appointments in as little as 24 hours. Start Free Assessment

Anxiety Diagnosis & Treatment

Circle Medical – Affordable and accessible anxiety evaluations and treatment. Diagnosis and prescription over video. Insurance accepted. Same day appointments. Visit Circle Medical

Learn Mindfulness, Meditation, & Relaxation Techniques

Mindfulness.com – Change your life by practicing mindfulness. In a few minutes a day, you can start developing mindfulness and meditation skills. Free Trial

Anxiety Newsletter

A free newsletter from the experts at ChoosingTherapy.com for those impacted by anxiety. Get helpful tips and the latest information. Sign Up

ChoosingTherapy.com Directory 

Find local therapists that offer online and in-person therapy. Search for therapists by specialty, experience, insurance, and location. Find a therapist near you.

For Further Reading

  • Resource Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services | The Administration for Children and Families
  • Find Treatment | SAMHSA
  • Therapeutic Journaling – Whole Health Library
  • The Lies We Tell Ourselves 
  • Self-Compassion

SPONSORED
Online Anxiety Test

Online Anxiety Test

A few questions from Talkiatry can help you understand your symptoms and give you a recommendation for what to do next.

Take Test
Best Online Therapy for Anxiety of 2024

Best Online Therapy for Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health issues in the world. To find the best online therapy for anxiety, we reviewed over 50 providers. Our evaluation focused on their geographic coverage area, cost, convenience, extra features, and more. Our top recommendations are based on more than three years of research and over 250 hours of hands-on testing. Read on to see our top picks for the best online anxiety counseling platforms.

Read more
Best Online Psychiatry Services

Best Online Psychiatry Services

Online psychiatry, sometimes called telepsychiatry, platforms offer medication management by phone, video, or secure messaging for a variety of mental health conditions. In some cases, online psychiatry may be more affordable than seeing an in-person provider. Mental health treatment has expanded to include many online psychiatry and therapy services. With so many choices, it can feel overwhelming to find the one that is right for you.

Read more

Anxiety newsletter

A free newsletter for those impacted by anxiety. Get helpful tips and the latest information

Sources

ChoosingTherapy.com strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.

  • Psychoanalytic Terms and Concepts, Eds Burness Moore & Bernard Fine, 1990, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, p. 49.

  • A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, Leon Festinger, 1985, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, p. 3-4.

  • Ego State Therapy, Gordon Emerson, 2007, Crown House Publishing, Bethel, CT, pp. 3-5.

  • 101 Defenses: How the Mind Shields Itself, Jerome S. Blackman, 2004, Brunner-Routledge, New York City, NY, p. 29

Show more Click here to open the article sources container.

Your Voice Matters

Can't find what you're looking for?

Request an article! Tell ChoosingTherapy.com’s editorial team what questions you have about mental health, emotional wellness, relationships, and parenting. Our licensed therapists are just waiting to cover new topics you care about!

Request an Article

Leave your feedback for our editors.

Share your feedback on this article with our editors. If there’s something we missed or something we could improve on, we’d love to hear it.

Our writers and editors love compliments, too. :)

Leave Feedback
ChoosingTherapy.com Logo White
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Write for Us
  • Careers
  • Editorial Policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

FOR IMMEDIATE HELP CALL:

Medical Emergency: 911

Suicide Hotline: 988

View More Crisis Hotlines
Choosing Therapy on Facebook
Choosing Therapy on Instagram
Choosing Therapy on X
Choosing Therapy on Linkedin
Choosing Therapy on Pinterest
Choosing Therapy on Tiktok
Choosing Therapy on Youtube

© 2025 Choosing Therapy, Inc. All rights reserved.

X