Metapsychology

The concept of metapsychology was created by Freud to refer to the most theoretical and abstract elements of psychoanalysis. It consists of a set of laws, principles, and fundamental concepts used to represent and describe the operation of the mental apparatus in three fundamental structural aspects: dynamic, topographical, and economic.

The term itself appeared early in Freud's work and is found in a letter to Wilhelm Fliess. It was most likely coined by analogy with the philosophical term "metaphysics," which Freud proposed to..