An imagined sequence of events or mental images (e.g., daydreams) that serves to express unconscious conflicts, to gratify unconscious wishes, or to prepare for anticipated future events.
A series of imaginary events which someone believes really took place.
A daydream of an imagined situation or series of events. Fantasy can serve as a way of rehearsing or planning for the future, or it can provide an escape from reality. In extreme cases, people live in a world of fantasy to escape the emotional conflicts or problems posed by the real world.
A complex sequence of imagination in which several imaginary elements are woven together into a story. An excessive preoccupation with one’s own imaginings may be symptomatic of a difficulty in coping with reality. In psychoanalytic psychology, unconscious fantasies are supposed to control behavior, so that psychological symptoms can be symbols of or defenses against such fantasies.
Fantasizing refers to the act of visualizing events or objects that are not really happening or existing. The term also denotes the mental picture created through this process.
Fantasy can create an illusion of fulfilled desires, offering a sense of satisfaction. It can serve as a coping mechanism when reality becomes too harsh to bear. Furthermore, it can also act as a catalyst for sparking creativity.
Psychoanalysts theorize that some fantasies originate from the unconscious mind, symbolizing primal instincts. These fantasies are revealed to the conscious mind through symbolic representations.