psychologism

American  

[sahy-kol-uh-jiz-uhm] / saɪˈkɒl əˌdʒɪz əm /

noun

1. emphasis upon psychological factors in the development of a theory, as in history or philosophy.

2. a term or concept of psychology or psychoanalysis, especially when used in ordinary conversation or a nontechnical context.

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psychologism British  

/ saɪˈkɒləˌdʒɪzəm /

noun

1. the belief in the importance and relevance of psychology for other sciences

2. the belief that psychology is the basis for all other natural and social sciences

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Other Word Forms

• psychologistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of psychologism

First recorded in 1855–60; psycholog(y) + -ism

Example Sentences

In place of Rosmini's "psychologism," which was advanced by Descartes and which leads to skepticism, he seeks to substitute "ontologism," which is alone held capable of reconciling science and the Catholic religion.

From History of Modern Philosophy From Nicolas of Cusa to the Present Time by Falckenberg, Richard

It is none the worse but all the better on that account, and I cannot say that the psychologism is the worse for being frankly, however uninsistently, moralized.

From A Psychological Counter-Current in Recent Fiction by Howells, William Dean

The psychologism with which the pragmatists started seems to be passing in this way, in the very effort to formulate it pragmatically, into something which, whatever it may be, is certainly not psychologism.

From Winds Of Doctrine Studies in Contemporary Opinion by Santayana, George