primary process

noun Psychoanalysis.

the generally unorganized mental activity characteristic of the unconscious and occurring in dreams, fantasies, and related processes.

Compare secondary process.

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

primary process in Medicine

primary process

n.

In psychoanalysis, the mental process directly related to the functions of the id and characteristic of unconscious mental activity, marked by unorganized, illogical thinking and by the tendency to seek immediate discharge and gratification of instinctual demands.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.