Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
1,017,242,984 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

cathexis

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
ca·thex·is  (k-thkss)
n. pl. ca·thex·es (-thksz)
Concentration of emotional energy on an object or idea.
[Greek kathexis, holding, retention, from katekhein, to hold fast : kat-, kata-, intensive pref.; see cata- + ekhein, to hold; see segh- in Indo-European roots.]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.cathexis - (psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object; "Freud thought of cathexis as a psychic analog of an electrical charge"
charge
depth psychology, psychoanalysis, analysis - a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders; based on the theories of Sigmund Freud; "his physician recommended psychoanalysis"
libidinal energy - (psychoanalysis) psychic energy produced by the libido
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
This moment of gothic cathexis has its corollary in "Book One: Fear" of Wright's Native Son as Bigger Thomas stealthily tries to deliver Mary Dalton, who has passed out from drugs and alcohol to her bedroom without being discovered.
"The soul has bandaged moments": reading the African American gothic ... by Bryant, Cedric Gael / African American Review
Given Funk's savvy, this vacuum of desirous attention easily accommodates art ideas--skillful, handmade painting lives parasitically off photography; our urge toward cathexis with a sexy or otherwise special individual rebounds as admonishment about commodity and spectacle.
Karel Funk: 303 Gallery by Richard, Frances / Artforum International
3) Sze's poem weaves the fruit's traditional sexual associations with cathexis intensified by his grief for a close friend, Donald Rundstrom.
Sexual desire and cultural memory in three ethnic poets by Basford, Douglas / MELUS
More results
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a. Terms of Use.