psychology

[sahy-kol-uh-jee] /saɪˈkɒl ə dʒi/
noun, plural psychologies.
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.
Origin
1675-85; < Neo-Latin psȳchologia. See psycho-, -logy
Related forms
prepsychology, noun
Can be confused
psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy.
Examples from the web for psychology
  • Watching the kitchen during the hectic rush of dinner service presented a case study in industrial and organizational psychology.
  • But the peculiar value of his psychology consists in his attempt to keep clear of them.
  • His discovery is now one of the main areas of research in psychology and neuroscience.
  • As such, the correct metaphors should come from psychology, not mathematics.
  • Furthermore, there seems to be an underlying difference in psychology.
  • People also say economics needs to incorporate the insights of psychology.
  • It was an effort to alter the psychology of the markets.
  • Now insights from psychology, economics and neuroscience may help us understand why and how those errors occur.
  • Investigation claims dozens of social-psychology papers contain faked data.
  • psychology often takes simple behavioral data and tries to make it more complicated and sophisticated.
British Dictionary definitions for psychology

psychology

/saɪˈkɒlədʒɪ/
noun (pl) -gies
1.
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
Derived Forms
psychologist, noun
Word Origin and History for psychology
n.

1650s, "study of the soul," from Modern Latin psychologia, probably coined mid-16c. in Germany by Melanchthon from Latinized form of Greek psykhe- "breath, spirit, soul" (see psyche) + logia "study of" (see -logy). Meaning "study of the mind" first recorded 1748, from Christian Wolff's "Psychologia empirica" (1732); main modern behavioral sense is from early 1890s.

psychology in Medicine

psychology psy·chol·o·gy (sī-kŏl'ə-jē)
n.

  1. The science that deals with mental processes and behavior.

  2. The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, a group, or an activity.

psychology in Science
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. ◇ Clinical psychology ◇ is the application of psychological knowledge to the diagnosis and treatment of patients.


psychology in Culture

psychology definition


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.)

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