psychoanalysis

Noun
  1. A set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders;
    Based on the theories of Sigmund Freud (synset 100705558)
    "his physician recommended psychoanalysis"
    associated with:
    • abreaction, catharsis, katharsis - (psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
    • anal personality, anal retentive personality - (psychoanalysis) a personality characterized by meticulous neatness and suspicion and reserve; said to be formed in early childhood by fixation during the anal stage of development (usually as a consequence of toilet training)
    • genital personality - (psychoanalysis) the mature personality which is not dominated by infantile pleasure drives
    • oral personality - (psychoanalysis) a personality characterized either by generous optimism or aggressive and ambitious selfishness; formed in early childhood by fixation during the oral stage of development
    • ego - (psychoanalysis) the conscious mind
    • superego - (psychoanalysis) that part of the unconscious mind that acts as a conscience
    • id - (psychoanalysis) primitive instincts and energies underlying all psychic activity
    • introjection - (psychoanalysis) the internalization of the parent figures and their values; leads to the formation of the superego
    • pleasure principle, pleasure-pain principle, pleasure-unpleasure principle - (psychoanalysis) the governing principle of the id; the principle that an infant seeks gratification and fails to distinguish fantasy from reality
    • reality principle - (psychoanalysis) the governing principle of the ego; the principle that as a child grows it becomes aware of the real environment and the need to accommodate to it
    • introject - (psychoanalysis) parental figures (and their values) that you introjected as a child; the voice of conscience is usually a parent's voice internalized
    • ego ideal - (psychoanalysis) the part of the ego that contains an ideal of personal excellence toward which a person strives
    • imago - (psychoanalysis) an idealized image of someone (usually a parent) formed in childhood
    • condensation - (psychoanalysis) an unconscious process whereby two ideas or images combine into a single symbol; especially in dreams
    • transference - (psychoanalysis) the process whereby emotions are passed on or displaced from one person to another; during psychoanalysis the displacement of feelings toward others (usually the parents) is onto the analyst
    • latent content - (psychoanalysis) hidden meaning of a fantasy or dream
    • complex - (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior
    • libido - (psychoanalysis) a Freudian term for sexual urge or desire
    • penis envy - (psychoanalysis) a female's presumed envy of the male's penis; said to explain femininity
    • death instinct, death wish, thanatos - (psychoanalysis) an unconscious urge to die
    • libidinal energy - (psychoanalysis) psychic energy produced by the libido
    • cathexis, charge - (psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object
    • acathexis - (psychoanalysis) a lack of cathexis; a condition in which significant objects or memories arouse no emotion in an individual
    • psychosexual development - (psychoanalysis) the process during which personality and sexual behavior mature through a series of stages: first oral stage and then anal stage and then phallic stage and then latency stage and finally genital stage
    • anaclisis - (psychoanalysis) relationship marked by strong dependence on others; especially a libidinal attachment to e.g. a parental figure
    • castration anxiety - (psychoanalysis) anxiety resulting from real or imagined threats to your sexual functions; originally applied only to men but can in principle apply to women
    • anal phase, anal stage - (psychoanalysis) the second sexual and social stage of a child's development during which bowel control is learned
    • genital phase, genital stage - (psychoanalysis) the fifth sexual and social stage in a person's development occurring during adolescence; interest focuses on sexual activity
    • latency period, latency phase, latency stage - (psychoanalysis) the fourth period (from about age 5 or 6 until puberty) during which sexual interests are supposed to be sublimated into other activities
    • oral phase, oral stage - (psychoanalysis) the first sexual and social stage of an infant's development; the mouth is the focus of the libido and satisfaction comes from suckling and chewing and biting
    • phallic phase, phallic stage - (psychoanalysis) the third stage in a child's development when awareness of and manipulation of the genitals is supposed to be a primary source of pleasure
    • abreact - discharge bad feelings or tension through verbalization
    • anal, anal retentive - a stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated on the anal region; fixation at this stage is said to result in orderliness, meanness, stubbornness, compulsiveness, etc.
    • oral - a stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated in the mouth; fixation at this stage is said to result in dependence, selfishness, and aggression
    • cathectic - of or relating to cathexis
    is a type of: psychotherapy - the treatment of mental or emotional problems by psychological means
    subtypes: hypnoanalysis - the use of hypnosis in conjunction with psychoanalysis
    same as: analysis, depth psychology

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