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psychoanalysis
[ sahy-koh-uh-nal-uh-sis ]
/ ˌsaɪ koʊ əˈnæl ə sɪs /
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noun
a systematic structure of theories concerning the relation of conscious and unconscious psychological processes.
a technical procedure for investigating unconscious mental processes and for treating psychoneuroses.
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Origin of psychoanalysis
OTHER WORDS FROM psychoanalysis
psy·cho·an·a·lyt·ic [sahy-koh-an-l-it-ik], /ˌsaɪ koʊˌæn lˈɪt ɪk/, psy·cho·an·a·lyt·i·cal [sahy-koh-an-l-it-i-kuhl], /ˌsaɪ koʊˌæn lˈɪt ɪ kəl/, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH psychoanalysis
psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis , psychotherapyWords nearby psychoanalysis
psycho, psychoacoustics, psychoactive, psychoanal., psychoanalyse, psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, psychoanalytic, psychoanalyze, psychobabble, psychobilly
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use psychoanalysis in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for psychoanalysis
psychoanalysis
/ (ˌsaɪkəʊəˈnælɪsɪs) /
noun
a method of studying the mind and treating mental and emotional disorders based on revealing and investigating the role of the unconscious mind
Derived forms of psychoanalysis
psychoanalyst (ˌsaɪkəʊˈænəlɪst), nounpsychoanalytic (ˌsaɪkəʊˌænəˈlɪtɪk) or psychoanalytical, adjectivepsychoanalytically, adverbCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for psychoanalysis
psychoanalysis
A method of treating mental illness, originating with Sigmund Freud, in which a psychiatrist (analyst) helps a patient discover and confront the causes of the illness. Many psychiatrists believe that these causes are buried deep in the unconscious of the patient and can be brought to the surface through such techniques as hypnosis and the analysis of dreams. Psychoanalysis emphasizes that mental illness usually originates in repressed sexual desires or traumas in childhood.
notes for psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is sometimes simply called analysis.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.