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psychoanalysis

psy·cho·a·nal·y·sis [ skō ə nálləssiss ]


noun 
Definition:
 
1. method of understanding mental life: a psychological theory and therapeutic method developed by Sigmund Freud, based on the ideas that mental life functions on both conscious and unconscious levels and that childhood events have a powerful psychological influence throughout life

2. treatment by psychoanalysis: treatment by psychoanalysis, interpreting material presented by a patient in order to bring the processes of the unconscious into conscious awareness


psy·cho·an·a·lyst [ skō ánn'list ] noun
psy·cho·an·a·lyt·ic [ skō anə líttik ] adjective
psy·cho·an·a·lyt·i·cal adjective
psy·cho·an·a·lyt·i·cal·ly adverb
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