psychoanalysis
[ sahy-koh-uh-nal-uh-sis ]
/ ˌsaɪ koʊ əˈnæl ə sɪs /
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.
Nearby words
Origin of psychoanalysis
Related forms
Can be confused
psychiatry psychology psychoanalysis psychotherapyDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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
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
Medicine definitions for psychoanalysis
psychoanalysis
[ sī′kō-ə-năl′ĭ-sĭs ]
n. pl. psy•cho•a•nal•y•ses (-sēz′)
The method of psychological therapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts.psychoanalytic therapy
The theory of personality developed by Freud that focuses on repression and unconscious forces and includes the concepts of infantile sexuality, resistance, transference, and division of the psyche into the id, ego, and superego.
Psychotherapy incorporating this method and theory.
Related forms
psy′cho•an′a•lyt′ic (-ăn′ə-lĭt′ĭk) null adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Culture 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.
Note
Psychoanalysis is sometimes simply called analysis.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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