psychoanalytic process
Definition
Noun: A theoretical sequence of mental operations or changes, posited within psychoanalytic theory, to describe how unconscious thoughts, feelings, and conflicts influence conscious behavior and personality. It refers to the underlying, often unconscious, dynamics that psychoanalysis seeks to bring to awareness.
Usage
The term is used in academic, clinical, and theoretical discussions of psychoanalysis to describe the hypothesized internal mechanisms of the mind. - The psychoanalytic process involves the gradual uncovering of repressed memories. - Understanding the psychoanalytic process is central to Freudian theory. - Her research focuses on how the psychoanalytic process differs from cognitive behavioral models.
Advanced Usage
- In therapeutic context: Refers specifically to the unfolding dynamic between analyst and patient that facilitates insight.
- The success of the treatment depends on the establishment of a productive psychoanalytic process.
- As a theoretical construct: Used to discuss abstract models of mental functioning.
- The paper critiques the classical view of the psychoanalytic process as being too deterministic.
Variants and Related Words
- Psychoanalysis (n): The therapeutic technique and body of theory founded by Sigmund Freud.
- Psychodynamic process (n): A broader term encompassing processes described in various theories derived from psychoanalysis.
Synonyms
- Unconscious process
- Psychic process (in a psychoanalytic context)
- Dynamic process (in psychological theory)
Related Phrases/Concepts
- Working through: A key component of the psychoanalytic process where insights are integrated.
- The final stage of the psychoanalytic process often involves extensive working through.
- Analysis of resistance: A focal point within the psychoanalytic process.
- The psychoanalytic process was stalled until the patient's resistance was addressed.
Noun
-
a process that is assumed to occur in psychoanalytic theory
