Editing Psychology (section)

== Etymology and definitions ==
The word ''[[wikt:psychology|psychology]]'' derives from the Greek word [[Psyche (psychology)|''psyche'']], for spirit or [[soul (spirit)|soul]]. The latter part of the word ''psychology'' derives from -λογία [[wikt:-logia|''-logia'']], which means "study" or "research".<ref name="OED">{{Cite web |title=Etymology of "psychology" by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/psychology |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=etymonline |language=en-US}}</ref> The word psychology was first used in the Renaissance.<ref name="foo-bar">{{ cite journal |author1=Raffaele d'Isa |author2=Charles I. Abramson |title=The origin of the phrase comparative psychology: an historical overview |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=14 |date=2023 |pages=1174115 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1174115
 |pmid=37255515 |pmc=10225565 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In its [[Latin]] form ''psychiologia'', it was first employed by the [[Croatia]]n [[humanism|humanist]] and [[Croatian latinistic literature|Latinist]] [[Marko Marulić]] in his book ''[[Psichiologia de ratione animae humanae]]'' (''Psychology, on the Nature of the Human Soul'') in the decade 1510–1520<ref name="foo-bar" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Krstic/marulic.htm |title=Classics in the History of Psychology – Marko Marulic – The Author of the Term "Psychology" |publisher=Psychclassics.yorku.ca |access-date=10 December 2011 |archive-date=20 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120195046/http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Krstic/marulic.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest known reference to the word ''psychology'' in English was by [[Steven Blankaart]] in 1694 in ''The Physical Dictionary''. The dictionary refers to "[[Anatomy]], which treats the Body, and Psychology, which treats of the Soul."<ref name="OED Psychology">{{Citation |last=Colman |first=Andrew M. |title=A Dictionary of Psychology |date=2009-01-01 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199534067.001.0001/acref-9780199534067 |access-date=2025-04-11 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en-US |isbn=978-0-19-953406-7}}</ref>

[[Psi (Greek)|'''Ψ''' (''psi'')]], the first [[Greek alphabet|letter]] of the Greek word ''psyche'' from which the term psychology is derived, is commonly associated with the field of psychology.

In 1890, [[William James]] defined ''psychology'' as "the science of mental life, both of its phenomena and their conditions."{{r|James 1890|pp=|q=}} This definition enjoyed widespread currency for decades. However, this meaning was contested, notably by [[John B. Watson]], who in 1913 asserted the [[Behaviorism|methodological behaviorist]] view of psychology as a purely objective experimental branch of [[natural science]], the theoretical goal of which "is the prediction and control of behavior."<ref name="Watson1913">{{cite journal | last1 = Watson | first1 = John B. | author-link = John B. Watson | title = Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It | url = http://commonweb.unifr.ch/artsdean/pub/gestens/f/as/files/4660/33602_123928.pdf | journal = Psychological Review | volume = 20 | issue = 2 | year = 1913 | doi = 10.1037/h0074428 | pages = 158–177 | hdl = 21.11116/0000-0001-9182-7 | hdl-access = free | access-date = 24 April 2015 | archive-date = 8 January 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160108214211/http://commonweb.unifr.ch/artsdean/pub/gestens/f/as/files/4660/33602_123928.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> Since James defined "psychology", the term more strongly implicates scientific experimentation.<ref>[[Derek Russell Davis]] (DRD), "psychology", in Richard L. Gregory (ed.), ''The Oxford Companion to the Mind'', second edition; Oxford University Press, 1987/2004; {{ISBN|978-0-19-866224-2}} (pp. 763–764).</ref><ref name="Watson1913" /> [[Folk psychology]] is the understanding of the mental states and behaviors of people held by [[Laity|ordinary people]], as contrasted with psychology professionals' understanding.<ref>The term "folk psychology" is itself contentious: see Daniel D. Hutto & Matthew Ratcliffe (eds.), ''Folk Psychology Re-Assessed''; Dorndrecht, the Netherlands: Springer, 2007; {{ISBN|978-1-4020-5557-7}}</ref>