metapsychology

American  

[met-uh-sahy-kol-uh-jee] / ˌmɛt ə saɪˈkɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. speculative thought dealing systematically with concepts extending beyond the limits of psychology as an empirical science.

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metapsychology British  

/ ˌmɛtəˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌmɛtəsaɪˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of philosophical questions, such as the relation between mind and body, that go beyond the laws of experimental psychology

2. any attempt to state the general laws of psychology

3. another word for parapsychology

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Other Word Forms

• metapsychological adjective

Etymology

Origin of metapsychology

First recorded in 1905–10; meta- + psychology

Example Sentences

“We would be talking on the phone about some abstract point of metapsychology,” said Dr. Stepansky, “and he would say, ‘Sorry, I’ve got to get to the tavern; the baseball game’s about to start, and my blind friend Tony relies on me to provide the play-by-play.’”

From New York Times

We are justified in saying that they have been diverted from these sexual aims, even though there is some difficulty in giving a representation of such a diversion of aim which will conform to the requirements of metapsychology.

From Project Gutenberg