abreaction, catharsis, katharsis - (psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions

psychotherapy - the treatment of mental or emotional problems by psychological means

hypnoanalysis - the use of hypnosis in conjunction with psychoanalysis

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 - (sychoanalysis) 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) a 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 - (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; "Freud thought of cathexis as a psychic analog of an electrical charge"

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 principal 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