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Cathexis

//kəˈθɛk sɪs// noun

Definitions

Noun

1
The concentration of libido or emotional energy on a single object or idea. countable, uncountable
"How contemporary artistic performances elicit cathexis on the part of the audience and promote unifying social rituals."
2
(psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object wordnet

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 these in other contexts). (In English translations, a Greek word was used to be more scientific.)

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