psychology

[ sahy-kol-uh-jee ]

noun

, plural psy·chol·o·gies.

1. the science of the mind or of mental states and processes.
2. the science of human and animal behavior.
3. the sum or characteristics of the mental states and processes of a person or class of persons, or of the mental states and processes involved in a field of activity:

   the psychology of a soldier; the psychology of politics.

4. mental ploys or strategy:

   He used psychology on his parents to get a larger allowance.

psychology

/ saɪˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. See experimental psychology, educational psychology, comparative psychology, clinical psychology, analytical psychology
   the scientific study of all forms of human and animal behaviour, sometimes concerned with the methods through which behaviour can be modified See also analytical psychology clinical psychology comparative psychology educational psychology experimental psychology
2. informal.
   the mental make-up or structure of an individual that causes him or her to think or act in the way he or she does

psychology

/ sī-kŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of mental processes and behavior.
2. The behavioral and cognitive characteristics of a specific individual, group, activity, or circumstance.
3. ◆ Clinical psychology ◆ is the application of psychological knowledge to the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

psychology

1. The science dealing with mental phenomena and processes. Psychologists study emotions, perception, intelligence, consciousness, and the relationship between these phenomena and processes and the work of the glands and muscles. Psychologists are also interested in diseased or disordered mental states, and some psychologists provide therapy for individuals. In the United States, however, psychologists, unlike psychiatrists, are not medical doctors. ( See psychiatry .)

Notes

The two main divisions of psychology are individual or personality psychology and social psychology; social psychology deals with the mental processes of groups.

Derived Forms

• psyˈchologist, noun

Other Words From

• prepsy·cholo·gy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychology¹

From the New Latin word psȳchologia, dating back to 1675–85. See psycho-, -logy

Example Sentences

In all, they brought together fields as diverse as psychology, astronomy and microbiology.

From Science News For Students

Considering the psychology of color, Apple has used it to their advantage.

From Search Engine Watch

If you want to listen to those full episodes, they both include some other unique conversations about human psychology and behavior that we didn’t get to feature in this special episode.

From Freakonomics

I’m a research psychologist, professor of psychology at the University of Queensland.

From Freakonomics

Did it — I don’t mean to say it set back the field of psychology — but maybe it did, I don’t know.

From Freakonomics

“The psychology of BDSM is lacking in other formal training regiments and interactions,” added Stella.

From The Daily Beast

Ambassador Shirley Temple Black attributed this to the “deeply risk-averse psychology of the Czech people.”

From The Daily Beast

It combines pickup techniques supposedly inspired by evolutionary psychology with self-help pseudoscience.

From The Daily Beast

Laskey, who earned a degree in psychology, enjoys painting and poetry.

From The Daily Beast

Muslims made many discoveries in mathematics, chemistry, physics, medicine, astronomy and psychology.

From The Daily Beast

This is the only book that I know which goes deeply into the corrupting, demoralizing psychology of prison life.

From Project Gutenberg

But a man cannot afford to ponder such problems in feminine psychology too closely if he has anything else to do!

From Project Gutenberg

The social regulations from the viewpoint of individual psychology.

From Project Gutenberg

His son, Steven James Bartlett, has published fifteen books and many papers in philosophy and psychology.

From Project Gutenberg

His psychology is that of the crass materialist—always a rather funny article.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• attitude
• medicine
• mindset
• therapy

More About Psych

What does psych mean?

Psych is an informal term with several meanings.

Psych means to intimidate or scare someone mentally and is usually followed by out, as in Shareen psyched me out about trying out for the play by telling me the director didn’t like actors.

Psych also means to prepare yourself or someone else mentally to give their best and is usually followed by up, as in Yana psyched up her team by reminding them of all their previous wins. To psych up usually involves preparing mentally, rehearsing skills or responses, and thinking positive thoughts.

Psych also means to decipher or analyse situations and problems to come to a solution and is often followed by out, as in After a lot of work, Lana finally psyched out the math problem. When you psyche out a problem, it means you have or are in the process of finding a solution through complex thought.

Example: The mascot tried to psych out the other team by dancing wildly on their sideline.

Where does psych come from?

The first records of the term psych come from the early 1900s. It is a shortening of the English psychoanalyze, meaning “to investigate the effects of the conscious and unconscious mind.”

Psych is also used as a slang term to mean “not” in a joking manner, as in I can’t stand you … psych! I love you. In this usage, psych usually follows a statement that is off-putting, upsetting, or unsettling, and the use of psych tells the listener that the speaker was only joking.

Psych is also used as a noun or adjective as a short form of psychology. Although it is informal, it’s often used by professionals and doctors of psychology, as well as the general public.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to psych?

• psyched (adjective)
• psyche (variant spelling)

What are some synonyms for psych?

• agitate
• bewilder
• encourage
• motivate
• perturb
• alarm

What are some words that share a root or word element with psych? 

• psycho
• psychology
• psychoanalysis

What are some words that often get used in discussing psych?

• confidence
• mindset
• scare
• trick

How is psych used in real life?

Psych is most used to mean either to intimidate or to encourage. It’s also used in slang on its own as an exclamation (“Psych!”) to mean “not.”

Also! I was notified today that I won a Kindle copy of THE GIRL FROM RAWBLOOD. I'm super psyched! pic.twitter.com/yZHO9kxHFQ

— Char's Horror Corner 💀☠️ (@Charrlygirl) December 1, 2021

I just have a weak stomach and I’m psyching myself out over the pain 😂

— Aerial 🧜🏼‍♀️👑 (@AerJordan_) December 1, 2021

I don't trust how quickly my MacBook restarts. come on buddy u didn't even give urself a minute 2 psych up. go again

— Beth McColl (@imteddybless) March 9, 2015

 

 

Try using psych!

True or False?

Psych can mean to encourage someone and to scare someone.

More About Psychology

What is psychology?

Psychology is the study of the mind, mental processes, and behaviors of humans and animals.

The term psychology is used to describe many specific areas of study. Generally, psychology is interested in the brain and, more specifically, why we think the way we do.

Because the mind is so complex, psychology is a very wide field with many subdivisions and branches of study. A few of the major areas of psychology include:

• clinical psychology, which involves diagnosing and treating personality and behavior disorders;
• cognitive psychology, which studies mental processes such as memory, language, and perception; and
• developmental psychology, which studies how our mental processes change as we age and experience more of life.

Both psychiatry and neuroscience are often confused with psychology. Like psychology, psychiatry also diagnoses and treats mental disorders but treatments are different. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medicine for mental illnesses. A psychologist doesn’t often have a medical degree and instead treats patients with counseling and therapy, a process known as psychotherapy.

On the other hand, neuroscience is focused on the actual neurons, tissues, and synapses that physically make up the brain as an organ, rather than with how we think about things, as psychology is.

Even if they don’t know the specifics, most people are aware that psychology is a study of the mind and thinking. For this reason, the word psychology is often used to refer generally to a person’s thought process or mental state, as in In order to really know what happens during war, you need to understand a soldier’s psychology.

Why is psychology important?

The first records of the word psychology come from around 1675. It comes from the New Latin psȳchologia, which combines psycho–, meaning “psyche” (which has to do with mental thinking), and –logy, a combining form that indicates a science or field of study.

The concept of psychology can be traced back to ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. As a scientific study, psychology is relatively new, started in the 1800s by Western scientists such as Wilhelm Wundt, William James, and Sigmund Freud. Freud in particular expanded psychological study to include the idea of subconscious thoughts that influence our behavior even if we are completely unaware of them.

Some branches of psychology can get pretty specific. Forensic psychology, for example, involves psychological analysis of people who interact with the law, such as witnesses or suspects, while sports psychology is concerned with athletes’ and sports teams’ training regimes.

Did you know … ?

One of the most infamous psychological experiments ever conducted was the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, run by psychologist Philip Zimbardo. The experiment had college students play the roles of prisoners and prison guards to analyze the psychological effects of prolonged imprisonment and power dynamics. The experiment was ended early due to the disturbing psychological effects it had on participants. This experiment has been heavily criticized on an ethical basis ever since.

What are real-life examples of psychology?

Psychology is a wide field of science that is constantly expanding.

For someone who works in the field of psychology and is also a huge fan of “Watchmen” I still can’t pronounce “Rorschach” correctly

— obi’s mom (@Rewaite) August 27, 2020

ALBERT BANDURA
(1925-2021)
[A thread]

He was a well-known psychologist who made significant contributions to the field of personality psychology, cognitive psychology, psychotherapy, and social psychology. pic.twitter.com/2sH1FngBL5

— Your Millennial Psychologist (@riyanportuguez) July 28, 2021

 

What other words are related to psychology?

• psychologist
• psychotherapy
• mind
• thinking
• psyche
• decisions
• consciousness
• subconsciousness

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

Psychology is the study of mental disorders and the development of medication to treat them.