APA Dictionary of Psychology

in ego psychology, an area of the ego that develops and functions without giving rise to internal conflict. Functions ordinarily controlled by the conflict-free sphere include speech, motility, planning, and other autonomous ego functions. Psychoanalysis is thought to increase the confict-free sphere of the ego and therefore to free up an individual’s capacities in life, the result of reducing neurotic symptoms and releasing the energy bound up in them. Also called conflict-free area.