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# Psychic energy
- URL: https://www.descentpress.com/index/psychic-energy/
- Published: 2026-09-05T04:40:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-10T01:59:13.000Z
- Description: Psychic energy is Sharp’s synonym redirect to libido. Samuels treats *energy* and *libido* as interchangeable (CW 6 ¶778 pointer—verify). Related: energic; progression; depression.
- Author: Jae Botávn
- Tags: #index, #Import 2026-09-04 23:45

## 1\. Etymology

**Psychic energy** is Sharp’s synonym redirect to **[libido](https://www.descentpress.com/index/libido/)**. Samuels treats *energy* and *libido* as interchangeable (CW 6 ¶778 pointer—verify). Related: [energic](https://www.descentpress.com/index/energic/); [progression](https://www.descentpress.com/index/progression/); [depression](https://www.descentpress.com/index/depression/).

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## 2\. Plain summary

**Examples (exhaustive house list for this Index lemma — common psychic-energy motifs named across Jung’s essays and standard Jungian lexica; not a claim that Jung’s CW contains only these):**  
Sharp redirect → libido; Samuels energy ↔ libido; limited / indestructible; intensity as value; channel shift / compensation; gradient / water metaphor; dual-stamp LIBIDO-1–4 only.

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## 3\. Academic elucidation

Hub entry. Authority and §5 sample: [libido](https://www.descentpress.com/index/libido/) (LIBIDO folded). No new psychic-energy leaf stamps this pass. Prefer dual-stamp only.

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## 4\. Lexicon

**Sharp (1991)**

> Psychic energy. See libido.

(Sharp, 1991)

**Samuels, Shorter & Plaut (1986)** — *energy* pp. **52–54**

> energy Jung used this term and 'libido' interchangeably (CW 6, para. 778). … psychic energy is said to be limited in quantity and indestructible…

(Samuels, Shorter, & Plaut, 1986/2013, pp. **52–54**)

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## 5\. CW concordance — sample, not exhaustive

- **LIBIDO-1** CW 6 ¶778 **1921/1971**
- **LIBIDO-2** CW 5 ¶194 **1912/1967**
- **LIBIDO-3** CW 4 ¶567 **1916/1961**
- **LIBIDO-4** CW 7 ¶345 **1928/1966**

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**See also:** [libido](https://www.descentpress.com/index/libido/); [energic](https://www.descentpress.com/index/energic/); [psyche](https://www.descentpress.com/index/psyche/); [psychization](https://www.descentpress.com/index/psychization/); [progression](https://www.descentpress.com/index/progression/); [depression](https://www.descentpress.com/index/depression/); [instinct](https://www.descentpress.com/index/instinct/).

## References

Jung, C. G. (1961). Psychoanalysis and neurosis. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), *The collected works of C. G. Jung* (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 4). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1916)

Jung, C. G. (1966). Two essays on analytical psychology. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), *The collected works of C. G. Jung* (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 7). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1928)

Jung, C. G. (1967). Symbols of transformation. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), *The collected works of C. G. Jung* (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 5). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1912)

Jung, C. G. (1971). Psychological types. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), *The collected works of C. G. Jung* (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (Vol. 6). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1921)

Samuels, A., Shorter, B., & Plaut, F. (1986). *A critical dictionary of Jungian analysis*. Routledge.

Sharp, D. (1991). *Jung lexicon: A primer of terms & concepts*. Inner City Books.

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