free association

See more synonyms for free association on Thesaurus.com

noun Psychoanalysis.

the uncensored expression of the ideas, impressions, etc., passing through the mind of the analysand, a technique used to facilitate access to the unconscious.

Origin of free association

First recorded in 1895–1900

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for free association

Historical Examples of free association

Both creative writers, artists and scientific problem solvers use the stream of consciousness or free-association skill.
Sequential Problem Solving
Fredric Lozo

British Dictionary definitions for free association

free association

noun

psychoanal a method of exploring a person's unconscious by eliciting words and thoughts that are associated with key words provided by a psychoanalyst
a spontaneous mental process whereby ideas, words, or images suggest other ideas, etc, in a nonlogical chain reaction

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

free association in Medicine

free association

[frē]

A psychoanalytic technique in which a patient verbalizes the passing contents of his or her mind without reservation. The verbalized conflicts that emerge constitute resistances that are the basis of the psychoanalyst's interpretations.