Condensation (psychology)

In Freudian psychoanalysis, a condensation (German: Verdichtung) is when a single idea (an image, memory, or thought) or dream object stands for several associations and ideas. This is an energetic reshuffling in which mental energy flows freely from one idea etc. to another. This free change of psychic energy is characteristic of so-called primary processes, which do not function with the aim of mental identity, but rather aim to fulfill pleasure, even self-deception to a certain extent, in order to make life easier, i.e. to avoid unpleasant and harmful things: a camouflage, reinterpretation, reconnection of disliked perceptions or memories. However, condensations can also be the determining factor for misperceptions, the psychoenergetic dynamics of which are not free-flowing, as certain external and internal motives are also involved. This can trigger avoidance behavior in the affected person.