psychoanalysis
noun
psy·cho·anal·y·sis ˌsī-kō-ə-ˈna-lə-səs 
: a method of analyzing psychic phenomena and treating emotional disorders that involves treatment sessions during which the patient is encouraged to talk freely about personal experiences and especially about early childhood and dreams
psychoanalyst
ˌsī-kō-ˈa-nə-list
noun 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The field of biographies about Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, is a crowded one. 
Rachel Newcomb, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2022 Sigmund Freud is a towering figure in popular culture, not only as the founder of psychoanalysis but also as a key originator of broad 20th-century ideas regarding self, sexuality, culture and more. Amanda Kondolojy, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2022 Shulgin had a deep understanding of Jungian psychoanalysis and collaborated with her husband, who in the 1970s rediscovered the MDMA compound, better known as the party drug ecstasy, and introduced it as a possible mental health treatment. Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2022 The daughter of Sigmund Freud’s eldest son, Sophie Freud was the last surviving grandchild of the Viennese doctor who revolutionized conceptions of the human mind with the introduction of psychoanalysis at the turn of the 20th century. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 7 June 2022 Tuesday, Hillary Clinton never addressed the substance of his argument and instead resorted to pop psychoanalysis. Jason L. Riley, WSJ, 28 June 2022 Malcolm remains the authority on psychoanalysis among laypeople who have written on the subject. Ana Cecilia Alvarez, The Atlantic, 1 May 2022 For a moment, Texas’ third-year reliever seemed ready for some psychoanalysis in the immediate aftermath of a career-best performance. Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 6 June 2022 Particularly in postwar America, psychoanalysis had been hermetically focussed on the private, the interior—but wasn’t the interior indelibly marked by the exterior world? Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 See More
Rachel Newcomb, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2022 Sigmund Freud is a towering figure in popular culture, not only as the founder of psychoanalysis but also as a key originator of broad 20th-century ideas regarding self, sexuality, culture and more. Amanda Kondolojy, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2022 Shulgin had a deep understanding of Jungian psychoanalysis and collaborated with her husband, who in the 1970s rediscovered the MDMA compound, better known as the party drug ecstasy, and introduced it as a possible mental health treatment. Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2022 The daughter of Sigmund Freud’s eldest son, Sophie Freud was the last surviving grandchild of the Viennese doctor who revolutionized conceptions of the human mind with the introduction of psychoanalysis at the turn of the 20th century. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 7 June 2022 Tuesday, Hillary Clinton never addressed the substance of his argument and instead resorted to pop psychoanalysis. Jason L. Riley, WSJ, 28 June 2022 Malcolm remains the authority on psychoanalysis among laypeople who have written on the subject. Ana Cecilia Alvarez, The Atlantic, 1 May 2022 For a moment, Texas’ third-year reliever seemed ready for some psychoanalysis in the immediate aftermath of a career-best performance. Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 6 June 2022 Particularly in postwar America, psychoanalysis had been hermetically focussed on the private, the interior—but wasn’t the interior indelibly marked by the exterior world? Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin
First Known Use
1906, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
psychoanalysis
noun
psy·cho·anal·y·sis ˌsī-kō-ə-ˈnal-ə-səs
variants also psychanalysis
ˌsī-kə-
plural psychoanalyses -ˌsēz
1
: a method of analyzing psychic phenomena and treating mental and emotional disorders that is based on the concepts and theories of Sigmund Freud, that emphasizes the importance of free association and dream analysis, and that involves treatment sessions during which the patient is encouraged to talk freely about personal experiences and especially about early childhood and dreams
2
: a body of empirical findings and a set of theories on human motivation, behavior, and personality development that developed especially with the aid of psychoanalysis
3
: a school of psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy founded by Sigmund Freud and rooted in and applying psychoanalysis