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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–3Cite as

Psychic Energy

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Synonyms

Cathexis; Mental energy

Definition

Psychic energy is the motivational impetus or energy which is directed into mental content and all psychological processes.

Introduction

Psychic energy is a theoretical construct used to explain motivation and other related psychoanalytic concepts of human behavior. Freud (1949) defined psychic energy as the motivational force that is directed into all mental content and all psychological processes; however, it is important to note that his definition of the term changed as his theory evolved. Psychic energy was initially defined in purely physiological terms, but as his work progressed, Freud began to note its purely psychological basis. Unfortunately, this change led to great confusion among his fellow psychoanalysts. Further confusion has also been provoked by the different contexts and interpretations in which psychic energy has been applied within both classical theory and contemporary psychoanalysis (Black 2003).

Freud’s Work Expanded

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References

  • Applegarth, A. (1971). Comments on aspects of the theory of psychic energy. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 19, 379–416.

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  • Freud, S. (1949). An outline of psycho-analysis. London: W.W. Norton & Company.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI, USA

    Shirley Rosario-Perez & Cheryl C. Munday

Authors
  1. Shirley Rosario-Perez
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  2. Cheryl C. Munday
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shirley Rosario-Perez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Kevin Meehan

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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Cite this entry

Rosario-Perez, S., Munday, C.C. (2018). Psychic Energy. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_624-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_624-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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