cathexis

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

cathexis
    n 1: (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}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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]