psychoanalysis

noun

psy·​cho·​anal·​y·​sis ˌsī-kō-ə-ˈna-lə-səs 

: a method of analyzing psychic phenomena and treating emotional disorders that involves treatment sessions during which the patient is encouraged to talk freely about personal experiences and especially about early childhood and dreams

psychoanalyst

ˌsī-kō-ˈa-nə-list 

noun

Examples of psychoanalysis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This comes from certain ideas in psychoanalysis, specifically from Lacanian psychoanalysis (one of whose core ideas is that subjectivity is constructed through language and meaning is never fully fixed). —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2025

Maybe there’s a different section of the paper for his psychoanalysis. —Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2025

Max’s book, and Lacanian psychoanalysis more generally, was the remedy—though not an absolute cure. —Lauren Elkin, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024

At once too frigid and too promiscuous within the terms of early psychoanalysis, the anorexic woman’s appetites (or lack thereof) were a threat to the cultural order. —Anna Shechtman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for psychoanalysis

• haemodialysis
• hemodialysis
• microanalysis
• analysis
• dialysis
• paralysis
• cryptanalysis
• urinalysis
• electrodialysis

Kids Definition

psychoanalysis

noun

psy·​cho·​anal·​y·​sis ˌsī-kō-ə-ˈnal-ə-səs 

plural psychoanalyses

-ˌsēz

: a method of explaining and treating mental and emotional disorders by having the patient talk freely about himself or herself and especially about dreams, problems, and early childhood memories and experiences

Medical Definition

psychoanalysis

noun

psy·​cho·​anal·​y·​sis ˌsī-kō-ə-ˈnal-ə-səs 

variants also psychanalysis

ˌsī-kə- 

plural psychoanalyses -ˌsēz 

1

: a method of analyzing psychic phenomena and treating mental and emotional disorders that is based on the concepts and theories of Sigmund Freud, that emphasizes the importance of free association and dream analysis, and that involves treatment sessions during which the patient is encouraged to talk freely about personal experiences and especially about early childhood and dreams

2

: a body of empirical findings and a set of theories on human motivation, behavior, and personality development that developed especially with the aid of psychoanalysis

3

: a school of psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy founded by Sigmund Freud and rooted in and applying psychoanalysis