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Psych- words: “Psyche” to “psychoanalyst”,
Part 3 of 7

Words that include: psych-, psycho-, -psyche, -psychic,
-psychical, -psychically
(Greek: mind, spirit, consciousness; mental processes;
the human soul; breath of life)

A prefix that is normally used with elements of Greek origin, psych- affects the meanings of hundreds of words.

Etymologically, this element includes such meanings as, breath, to breathe, life, soul, spirit, mind, consciousness; and literally, "that which breathes".



Psyche:
1. A lovely maiden, the personification of the soul, usually represented with the wings of a butterfly, emblematic of immortality. In the Golden Ass of Apuleius, Psyche is a beautiful princess of whom Venus becomes jealous.

Psyche, in Roman mythology, beautiful princess loved by Cupid, god of love. Jealous of Psyche's beauty, Venus, goddess of love, ordered her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man in the world. Fortunately for Psyche, Cupid instead fell in love with her and carried her off to a secluded palace where he visited her only by night, unseen and unrecognized by her. Although Cupid had forbidden her ever to look upon his face, one night Psyche lit a lamp and looked upon him while he slept. Because she had disobeyed him, Cupid abandoned her, and Psyche was left to wander desolately throughout the world in search of him. Finally, after many trials she was reunited with Cupid and was made immortal by Jupiter, king of the gods.

The story of Cupid and Psyche is part of the novel, Metamorphoses (a.k.a. The Golden Ass) written by the 2nd century A.D. novelist and rhetorician, Apuleius

For more details, see the story of Psyche, according to Apuleius

psyche:
1. Breath, to breathe, to blow, (later) to cool; hence, life (identified with or indicated by the breath); the animating principle in man and other living beings, the source of all vital activities, rational or irrational, the soul or spirit, in distinction from its material vehicle, the body; sometimes considered as capable of persisting in a disembodied state after separation from the body at death.
2. In Mythology, personified by Plato and other philosophers, it was extended to the anima mundi, conceived to animate the general system of the universe, as the soul animates the individual organism. St. Paul (developing a current Jewish distinction between spirit or breath, and nephesh, soul) used the lower or merely natural life of man, shared with other animals, in contrast with the spirit.
3. The soul, or spirit, as distinguished from the body; the mind.
4. The conscious and unconscious mind and emotions; especially, as influencing and affecting the whole person.
5. All that constitutes the mind and what it processes.
6. Term for the subjective aspects of the mind, self, soul; the psychological or spiritual as distinct from the bodily nature of humans.
psychedelia:
Psychedelic articles or phenomena collectively; the subculture associated with psychedelic drugs.
psychedelic, psychodelic:
1. Originally used in 1963 to mean mind-manifesting and now used by lay persons to describe some of the subjective aspects of intoxication, particularly with a drug; such as, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or other drugs (hashish, mescaline, etc.) that are mind-altering and produce visual hallucinations.
2. Producing an effect or sensation held to resemble that produced by a psychedelic drug; specifically, having vivid colors, often in bold abstract designs or in motion.
4. A reference to a person who takes a psychedelic drug or who has a psychedelic life-style.
psychesthetics, psychaesthetics, psychesthetic, psychaesthetic, psychoesthetics, psychoaesthetics:
The study of the psychological aspects of esthetic (aesthetic) perception.
psychentonia:
Mental tension.
psychiater:
An expert in mental disease.
psychiatric, psychiatrics:
A reference to psychiatry, the science concerned with the study, diagnosis, and prevention of mental illness.
psychiatrist:
A physician who specializes in the study, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders.
psychiatry, psychiatric:
The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness; etymological meaning: "mental healing" or "healing the mind".
psychic, psychical:
1. Concerning the mind or psyche; relating to the phenomena of consciousness, mind, or soul.
2. An individual said to be endowed with semisupernatural powers, such as the ability to read the minds of others or to foresee coming events; one apparently sensitive to nonphysical forces.
3. Psychic determinism, the theory that mental processes are determined by conscious or unconscious motives and are never irrelevant.
4. Psychic force is a force generated apart from physical energy.
psychism:
The theory that a principle of life pervades all nature.
psychoacoustics:
1. A discipline combining experimental psychology and physics that deals with the physical features of sound as related to audition, as well as with the physiology and the psychology of sound recepter processes.
2. The science pertaining to the psychological factors that influence one's awareness of sound.
psychoactive:
Affecting the mental state, such as a drug that has that result.
2. Possessing the ability to alter mood, anxiety, behavior, cognitive processes, or mental tension; usually applied to pharmacologic (drug) agents.
psychoacoustics:
The scientific investigation of the way in which animals, including man, hear, particularly the reception and analysis of the input signal. It is the study of the relationship between the physical characteristics of sound and its biologic processing.
psychoactivator:
A drug that produces stimulation; a psychic energizer.
psychoactive:
Exerting effects on the mind or on behavior, as certain drugs.
psychoallergy:
1. A condition of hypersensitivity or over reaction to certain ideas, words, persons, or situations because of their symbolic significance.
2. A sensitivity to emotionally charged symbols.
psychoanaleptic:
1. Having a stimulating effect on the mind.
2. Producing a stimulating or restorative effect on mental function.
psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic:
1. A method of obtaining a detailed account of past and present mental and emotional experiences and repressions in order to determine the source and to eliminate or diminish any of the undesirable effects of unconscious conflicts by making patients aware of their existence, origin, and inappropriate expression in emotions and behavior. It is largely a system created by Sigmund Freud that was originally an outgrowth of his observations of neurotics.
2. Psychoanalysis is based on the theory that abnorml phenomena are caused by repression of painful or undesirable past experiences that, although totally forgotten, later manifest themselves in various abnormal ways.
3. In addition to the Freudian method, other schools of thought used in psychoanalysis include: analytical psychology (Jung), psychobiology (Meyer), and individual psychology (Adler).
4. An integrated body of observations and theories on personality development, motivation, and behavior.
psychoanalyst:
1. One who practices psychoanalysis.
2. A psychotherapist, usually a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist, trained in psychoanalysis and employing its methods in the treatment of emotional disorders.
3. Usually, the psychoanalyst has had specific training in and has met the curriculum, practice, and supervisory criteria of a recognized training center for psychoanalysis before he or she can assume the title of psychoanalyst.