PSYCHOANALYSIS Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield PSYCHOANALYSIS facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which mechanism involves channeling unacceptable impulses into socially valued activities? → Sublimation
2. Which of the following is classified as a mature defense mechanism in Vaillant's hierarchy? → Sublimation
3. Suicidal ideation in a crisis is best understood psychoanalytically as: → Aggression turned inward against an introjected object
4. The concept of 'cultural mourning' in psychoanalytic anthropology refers to: → A society's ongoing failure to process historical losses or collective trauma
5. A psychoanalyst learns through a referral network that a colleague has had sexual contact with a former patient. The analyst's ethical obligation is to: → Report the concern to the appropriate licensing board or ethics committee
6. In the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP), clinicians rate patients using a fixed distribution of descriptors. This forced-choice format is designed to: → Reduce halo effects and response biases in clinical ratings
7. In intersubjective psychoanalysis, the analyst's subjectivity is regarded as: → An inevitable co-creating factor that shapes the therapeutic field
8. Anna Freud's landmark 1936 work 'The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense' contributed to psychoanalysis primarily by: → Systematically cataloguing and elaborating the ego's defensive operations
9. What is the foundational principle of professional ethics in Psychoanalysis practice? → Acting in the best interest of the client or patient
10. According to S.H. Foulkes, the founder of group analysis, the 'group matrix' refers to: → The web of unconscious communication and meaning shared by all group members
11. In psychoanalytic work with immigrant patients, the analyst notices the patient mourns a lost homeland but cannot fully grieve. This is best conceptualized as: → Ambiguous loss due to the homeland's continued physical existence
12. The phenomenon of 'racial melancholia,' as theorized by Anne Anlin Cheng, refers to: → The psychic cost of racial grief that cannot be openly mourned in a racist society
13. What is the role of a code of ethics in the Psychoanalysis profession? → To guide professional behavior and protect the public interest
14. Otto Kernberg's theory of borderline personality organization is grounded in which psychoanalytic framework? → Object relations theory integrated with ego psychology
15. What is 'working through' in psychoanalytic treatment? → Repeatedly examining a conflict until insight leads to lasting change
16. According to the ethics of psychoanalytic practice, self-disclosure by the analyst is: → Used judiciously when it serves the patient's therapeutic goals
17. What is the primary purpose of treatment manuals in psychoanalytic research? → To standardize treatment delivery and improve replicability across studies
18. What is the primary purpose of the Psychoanalysis certification program? → To validate professional competence and knowledge in the field
19. Which of the following best describes the 'rapprochement' subphase in Mahler's separation-individuation theory? → The toddler alternates between clinging to and pushing away the caregiver
20. What should a Psychoanalysis professional do when they encounter a situation beyond their competence? → Refer to a qualified specialist or seek additional training
21. According to Freud, during which stage does the Oedipus complex typically emerge? → Phallic stage
22. In 'Mass Psychology of Fascism,' Wilhelm Reich argued that fascism gained mass support primarily because: → Sexual repression redirected libidinal energy into authoritarian submission
23. What is a primary limitation of using patient self-report measures to evaluate psychoanalytic treatment outcomes? → They cannot capture unconscious change processes central to psychoanalysis
24. A group facilitator who consistently takes sides with certain members and avoids confronting others is exhibiting which countertransference pattern? → Differential countertransference
25. Which term refers to emotional release through the reliving of a repressed traumatic experience? → Catharsis/abreaction
26. Evolutionary psychology challenges psychoanalysis mainly by arguing that psychological mechanisms are best understood as what? → Adaptations shaped by natural selection, not repressed wishes
27. The psychoanalytic concept applied by Paul Connerton to explain how societies transmit traumatic history through bodily practices is: → Repetition compulsion enacted in commemorative rituals
28. A key advantage of qualitative methods over quantitative methods in psychoanalytic research is that they: → Allow in-depth exploration of meaning and subjective experience
29. When a patient asks to record their psychoanalytic sessions, the analyst's primary consideration should be: → The impact on free association and the analytic process
30. Which theorist developed the concept of 'individual psychology,' emphasizing inferiority feelings and social interest as core motivators? → Alfred Adler