cathexis
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Ancient Greek κάθεξις (káthexis, “holding, retention”). The term entered the English language as a translation for the common everyday German word Besetzung, which in the context of psychoanalysis means "occupation" in the sense of a position or something being occupied or filled, and not a military occupation of a place or the filling of job positions (although it can also mean either of these in other contexts). (In English translations, a Greek word was used to be more scientific.)
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
cathexis (countable and uncountable, plural cathexes)
- (psychoanalysis) The concentration of libido or emotional energy on a single object or idea.
- 2013, Isher-Paul Sahni, “More than Horseplay”, in Studies in Popular Culture, volume 35, page 76:
- How contemporary artistic performances elicit cathexis on the part of the audience and promote unifying social rituals.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
the concentration of libido or emotional energy on a single object or idea
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