Psychoanalytic Concept
Core concepts used across psychoanalytic theory and clinical practice.
Sublimation
SublimationSublimation is one of the most celebrated defense mechanisms in psychoanalysis. It refers to the process by which instinctual drives—especially sexual or aggressive impulses—are diverted into socially acceptable, often creative
Repetition Compulsion
Repetition CompulsionRepetition compulsion designates the tendency to repeat, reenact, or return to past experiences, particularly those that are painful or traumatic. This phenomenon puzzled Freud, who observed that patients often
Drives: Life and Death
Drives: Life and DeathThe concepts of life drive and death drive are among the most provocative and debated in psychoanalytic theory. Introduced by Freud in his later work, they propose
Anxiety
AnxietyAnxiety is one of the most fundamental and universally experienced phenomena in psychoanalysis. It refers to an unpleasant emotional state characterized by anticipation of danger, diffuse apprehension, and heightened autonomic
Oedipus Complex
Oedipus ComplexThe Oedipus complex is one of the most famous and contested concepts in psychoanalysis. Named after the Greek myth of Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father and married his
Oedipus Complex
Dream Interpretation
Dream InterpretationDream interpretation is one of the oldest and most distinctive practices in psychoanalysis. Freud called it the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious, and while subsequent theorists
Resistance
ResistanceResistance denotes any phenomenon by which the patient prevents unconscious material from entering consciousness during psychoanalytic treatment. It is not merely an obstacle to be overcome; it is a central
Countertransference
CountertransferenceCountertransference designates the totality of the analyst's emotional reactions to the patient during treatment. Originally conceived as an obstacle to effective analysis, the concept has undergone a fundamental revaluation in
Narcissism
NarcissismNarcissism denotes a complex configuration of psychic life in which the self becomes the central object of investment. The term originates from the Greek myth of Narcissus, the youth who