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cathexis

Pronunciation: /kəˈθɛk sɪs/

The English word “cathexis” has 1 meaning listed here.

noun

  1. The concentration of libido or emotional energy on a single object or idea.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κάθεξις (káthexis, “holding, retention”). The term entered the English language as a translation for the common everyday German word Besetzung, which in the context of psychoanalysis means "occupation" in the sense of a position or something being occupied or filled, and not a military occupation of a place or the filling of job positions (although it can also mean either of…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.