cathexis
- noun
- /kəˈθɛksɪs/
- NSFW
- In psychoanalysis, cathexis refers to the emotional investment an individual places in a relationship or idea.
- Body cathexis
- Cathexis Scale
And here he also brings in a technical term, he says instinctual cathexes seeking discharge.
- And here he also brings in a technical term, he says instinctual cathexes seeking discharge.
- With the abandonment of the Oedipus complex, a child must, as we can see, renounce the intense object cathexes which he's deposited with his parents.
Examples
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What is the psychology of cathexis to technological implements?
Academic text (1991) -
Indeed, Barthes was obsessed by "the great game of the powers of speech," a cathexis that impelled his interest.
Academic text (2005) -
In terms of cathexis, the valued object is being transformed into an item that is the epitome of worthlessness.
Academic text (1997) -
For example, Tucker and Maxwell (1992) found the body cathexis scores of females participating in strength training to be greater than those of a control group.
Academic text (2006) -
Green, drawing on Catherine Stimpson's psychoanalytic model of cathexis, says that the identifying reader may have a "passionate sense of connection to the text that seeks both to penetrate and to encompass, to inhabit the text and to create it" (18).
Academic text (2017) -
The artist's cathexis on her subject allowed her to convey deep emotions through her painting.
-
His intense cathexis towards his favorite book was evident in the way he spoke about its characters.
Synonyms
Emotional energy attached to an idea or person
How Focused
- NSFW
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word cathexis comes from Greek parts kata- 'down' and hexis 'to hold'. Think of it as 'holding' your emotional energy on one person or idea — like keeping a bright light on something — which is why in psychology it means concentrating strong feelings or interest on that object.