psychoanalysis

American  

[sahy-koh-uh-nal-uh-sis] / ˌsaɪ koʊ əˈnæl ə sɪs /

noun

1. a systematic structure of theories concerning the relation of conscious and unconscious psychological processes.

2. a technical procedure for investigating unconscious mental processes and for treating psychoneuroses.

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psychoanalysis British  

/ ˌsaɪkəʊˈænəlɪst, ˌsaɪkəʊəˈnælɪsɪs, ˌsaɪkəʊˌænəˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. a method of studying the mind and treating mental and emotional disorders based on revealing and investigating the role of the unconscious mind

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psychoanalysis Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

Psychoanalysis is sometimes simply called analysis.

Other Word Forms

• psychoanalyst noun
• psychoanalytic adjective
• psychoanalytical adjective
• psychoanalytically adverb

Etymology

Origin of psychoanalysis

From the German word Psychoanalyse, dating back to 1905–10. See psycho-, analysis

Compare meaning

How does psychoanalysis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• psychoanalysis vs. psychotherapy

Explanation

Psychoanalysis is a type of long-term therapy that explores the origins of a patient's mental state. When most people think of psychoanalysis they think of Sigmund Freud, who first developed it at the end of the 19th century. It's a type of psychotherapy that uses stories from childhood, dreams, free association, and other techniques to get at a person's subconscious, or the thoughts and fears hidden deep inside the mind. Psychoanalysis is sometimes described as "talk therapy." The word is rooted in the Greek psychē, or "soul."

Example Sentences

Can psychoanalysis make sense of our most insidious urges?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

This idea echoes a long-standing hypothesis in sleep research -- and even in classical psychoanalysis -- that dreams may act as "guardians of sleep."

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

To hear them engaging in psychoanalysis you could be forgiven for thinking that they've spent as much prep-time for Rome in therapy as they have on the training ground.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

She taught me more in 20 seconds — a new way to listen, feel and understand — than I’d learned in 30 years of psychoanalysis and endurance sports.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2025

“About what? About Freud? The one time I mentioned a Freudian theory in class, all I got out of Appleman was that dogmatic psychoanalysis was related to psychology as magic was related to science. ‘

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok