pathologization
|path-o-lo-gi-za-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌpæθəˌlɑdʒəˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌpæθəˌlɒdʒəˈzeɪʃən/
(pathologize)
treat as disease
Etymology
'pathologization' originates from Modern English, formed from the verb 'pathologize' plus the suffix '-ation', where 'patho-' comes from Greek 'pathos' meaning 'suffering' or 'disease' and '-logy' comes from Greek 'logos' meaning 'study'.
'pathologization' developed from 'pathology' (from Medieval Latin 'pathologia', from Greek 'pathologia'); the verb 'pathologize' arose in the 19th century from the noun, and adding the suffix '-ation' produced the noun 'pathologization'.
Initially related to the study of disease ('pathology'), the formation later came to denote the act or process of treating or describing something as diseased or abnormal.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or act of regarding or treating a behavior, condition, or characteristic as medically or psychologically abnormal or diseased.
The pathologization of normal grief can lead to unnecessary diagnoses and treatments.
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Noun 2
the process by which social or cultural behaviors are framed as symptoms of illness, often used critically in sociology and anthropology.
Critics pointed out the pathologization of poverty, arguing it diverted attention from structural causes.
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Last updated: 2026/01/15 23:09