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cathexis

Syllabification: (ca·thex·is)
Pronunciation: /kəˈTHeksis/
Definition of cathexis

noun

Psychoanalysis
  • the concentration of mental energy on one particular person, idea, or object (especially to an unhealthy degree).

Origin:

1920s: from Greek kathexis 'retention', translating German Libidobesetzung, coined by Freud

cathexis in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cathexis in the British & World English dictionary

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