psychopathology

American  

[sahy-koh-puh-thol-uh-jee] / ˌsaɪ koʊ pəˈθɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the science or study of mental disorders.

2. the conditions and processes of a mental disorder.

3. a pathological deviation from normal or efficient behavior; psychosis.

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psychopathology British  

/ ˌsaɪkəʊˌpæθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌsaɪkəʊpəˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the scientific study of mental disorders

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Other Word Forms

• psychopathologic adjective
• psychopathological adjective
• psychopathologist noun

Etymology

Origin of psychopathology

First recorded in 1840–50; psycho- + pathology

Example Sentences

Author Amitav Ghosh has correctly given this ailment of imaginative deficiency a name, redolent of psychopathology: Our inability to apprehend the reality of ecological catastrophe is nothing less than “derangement.”

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022

Maybe, even, they are stand-ins, part of the psychopathology of everyday life.

From Washington Post • Jul. 26, 2022

A 2014 study found no effect of family structure on psychopathology after controlling for conflict.

From Slate • Jul. 11, 2022

I didn’t find the psychopathology of Driver’s Henry McHenry to be particularly resonant.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2021

It is our thesis that the psychopathology of such murderers forms at least one specific syndrome which we shall describe.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote