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

Psychoanalysis, Mr. Phillips suggests, can support this pragmatist approach by helping us navigate that retelling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Psychoanalysis the attempt to cure mental illnesses by uncovering the unconscious elements that are said to be the foundation of human behavior.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

“You’re in an altered state,” said Sophia Richman, a Holocaust survivor who is a faculty member at New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.

From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2022

Institute for Psychoanalysis, serving as director of its low-cost clinic from 1978 to 1981.

From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2020

Psychoanalysis was deferred for the time, and recourse was had to indirect suggestion and re-education.

From The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Volume 10 by Various