'Cathexis' definitions:

Definition of 'cathexis'

From: WordNet
noun
(psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object; "Freud thought of cathexis as a psychic analog of an electrical charge" [syn: cathexis, charge]

Definition of 'Cathexis'

From: GCIDE
  • Cathexis \Cath*ex"is\, n. [Gr. ka`qexis, keeping.]
  • 1. (Psychiatry) the process of investing mental, emotional, or libidinal energy or significance in an object, person, or idea. [PJC]
  • 2. (Psychiatry) the emotional or libidinal energy invested in an object, person, or idea. [PJC]