psychology
/sʌɪˈkɒlədʒi
/noun
1 [mass noun] The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour in a given context.He studied Jungian and transpersonal psychology and took a special interest in allergic diseases....
- These researchers draw their inspiration from the discipline of psychology and study behaviour in a quite detailed way.
- Qualitative inquiry embeds psychology in rich contexts of history, society, and culture.
Synonyms
study of the mind, science of the mind, science of the personality, study of the mental processes
2 [in singular] The mental characteristics or attitude of a person or group: the psychology of child-killers...
- The election, he must remind voters, is really about something more than the personalities, and the psychologies, of the two major candidates.
- This is an extraordinarily complex topic that has its roots in history, the global economy, the failure of diplomacy and the psychologies of the people involved.
- While many movies attempt to imitate the personal psychologies of cops and criminals, Dark Blue hits closer to the mark than most.
Synonyms
mindset, mind, mental processes, thought processes, way of thinking, cast of mind, frame of mind, turn of mind, mentality, persona, psyche, (mental) attitude(s), make-up, character, disposition, temperament, temper, behaviour
informal what makes someone tick
2.1The mental factors governing a situation or activity: the psychology of interpersonal relationships...
- He wittily captures the psychology of the situation without actually showing many of the faces.
- The fact that he is red-green color blind prompted an interest in optics and the psychology of vision.
- It may help you to increase your sales by understanding the psychology of purchasing and your part in that process.
Origin
Late 17th century: from modern Latin psychologia (see psycho-, -logy).