Compartmentalization (psychology)

Compartmentalizing is the act of splitting an idea or concept up into (sometimes more or less arbitrary) parts, and trying to enforce thought processes which are inhibiting attempts to allow these parts to mix together again in an attempt to simplify things.

The reason for this attempt of thought control is often to make it easier to single out certain individuals, or to inhibit certain ideas. One example is the idea of gender, splitting gender into exclusive male and female traits, ignoring the fact that sometimes gender is not that easily determined.