Psyche

Psyche

Psyche

In psychology, an individual's consciousness.

The term psyche actually takes its meaning from ancient myth. In Roman mythology, Psyche represented the human spirit and was portrayed as a beautiful girl with butterfly wings. Psyche was a beautiful mortal desired by Cupid, to the dismay of Cupid's mother Venus. Venus demanded that her son order Psyche to fall in love with the ugliest man in the world. Cupid refused and loved Psyche himself, visiting her only by night and commanding that she not look at him. Eventually, Psyche broke Cupid's rule and lit a lamp to look upon his face. For this disloyalty, Cupid abandoned her and Psyche wandered through the world in search of her lover. Eventually she was reunited with Cupid and made immortal by Jupiter.

The modern day use of the concept of psyche still incorporates the meaning of the human soul or spirit. It can also refer to the mind. Many different branches of science may have an interest in studying matters of the psyche. An online academic journal titled Psyche illustrates the wide range of study around the concept of psyche; participants come from the fields of cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, physics, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence . The magazine refers to its mission as an "interdisciplinary exploration of the nature of consciousness and its relation to the brain." Topics discussed regarding psyche in this diverse forum have included animal consciousness, the visual brain , and the triangular circuit of attention .

Psychiatrist Carl Jung (18751961) believed that the psyche was self regulating, and that it became more defined as a person went through the process of "individuation." Jung's theories, which he called analytical psychology, also included recognition and exploration of a "collective unconsciousness."

Catherine Dybiec Holm

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Holm, Catherine Dybiec. "Psyche." Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Psyche

Psyche

In Greek and Roman mythology, Psyche was a princess of such stunning beauty that people came from near and far to admire her. In turning their adoration toward Psyche, however, they neglected to worship the goddess Aphrodite*. Jealous that so much praise was flowing to a mortal girl, Aphrodite decided to punish Psyche.

The goddess summoned her son Eros (also known as Cupid), the god of love, and told him to make Psyche fall in love with some ugly, mean, and unworthy creature. Eros prepared to obey his mother's wishes, but when he laid eyes on the beautiful Psyche, he fell in love with her.

Eros asked Apollo* to send an oracle to Psyche's father, telling him to prepare his daughter for marriage. He was to send her to a lonely mountain, where an ugly monster would meet her and take her for his wife. Full of sorrow for his daughter but afraid of making the gods angry, Psyche's father obeyed.

While Psyche stood on the mountain, Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, sent a breeze to pick her up and carry her to a beautiful palace in a valley. When Psyche entered the palace, a friendly voice guided her around, and invisible attendants waited upon her and fulfilled her every need.

That night and on the nights that followed, Eros came to Psyche in the darkness of her bedroom and made love to her. Psyche could not see Eros in the darkness, but he told her that he was her husband. He also warned Psyche not to ask his identity and never to look at him. Psyche grew to love her unseen husband, but she felt very lonely.

When she asked if her sisters might visit, Eros reluctantly agreed. Her sisters admired her palace and life of luxury, but when they discovered that Psyche had never seen her husband, they told her that he must be a monster and might kill her. They convinced her to take a knife and lamp to bed with her.

When Eros fell asleep that night, Psyche lit the lamp and prepared to stab her husband. But instead of a monster, she saw the handsome god of love. Startled, she let a drop of hot oil from the lamp fall on Eros. He awoke, realized that Psyche knew his identity, and flew away. Psyche fainted. When she awoke, the palace had vanished, and she found herself alone in a strange country.

oracle priest or priestess or other creature through whom a god is believed to speak; also the location (such as a shrine) where such words are spoken

underworld land of the dead

Psyche wandered the countryside searching for Eros. Finally she asked Aphrodite for help, and the goddess gave her a set of seemingly impossible tasks. With the help of other gods, however, Psyche managed to sort a roomful of grain in one night and gather golden fleeces from a flock of sheep. For the final task, Aphrodite told Psyche to go the underworld and bring back a sealed box from Persephone*. Psyche retrieved the box and on her way back, overcome by curiosity, peeked inside it. The box released a deep sleep, which overpowered her.

* See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information.

immortal able to live forever

By this time Eros, could not bear to be without Psyche. He flew to where she lay sleeping, woke her, and took her to Olympus*, where Zeus* commanded that the punishment of Psyche cease and gave permission for the lovers to marry. Zeus then gave Psyche a cup of ambrosia, the food of the gods, which made her immortal.

See also Aphrodite; Eros; Greek Mythology.

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psyche

psyche soul, spirit, mind. XVII. — L. psȳchē — Gr. psūkhḗ breath, soul, life, rel. to psūkhein breathe, blow.
So psychic XIX, psychical XVII (rare before XIX); first in senses pert. to soul or mind, later pert. to conditions supposed to be outside the physical domain. — Gr. psūkhikós. psycho-, before a vowel psych-, repr. comb. form of Gr. psūkhḗ used in techn. terms since XVII, but prolifically only since mid-XIX. psychiatry healing of mental disease (Gr. iātrós healer). psychology science of the human soul or mind. XVII (rare before XIX). — modL. psȳchologia. So psychological XVIII.

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T. F. HOAD. "psyche." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "psyche." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-psyche.html

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Psyche

Psyche , in Greek mythology, personification of the human soul. She was so lovely that Eros (Cupid), the god of love, fell in love with her. He swept her off to a beautiful, isolated castle but forbade her to look at him since he was a god. When she disobeyed, he abandoned her, but she ceaselessly searched for him, performing difficult and dangerous tasks, until at last she was reunited with him forever and made immortal.

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"Psyche." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Psyche." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Psyche.html

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Psyche

Psyche ♀ Pronounced ‘sigh-kee’ from the Greek word psykhē, meaning both ‘butterfly’ and ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’. Use as a given name may derive in part from the nymph in classical mythology beloved by Cupid; in other cases it has been chosen by parents interested in exploring the potential of the human spirit.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Psyche." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Psyche." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Psyche.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Psyche." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Psyche.html

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psyche

psy·che1 / ˈsīkē/ • n. the human soul, mind, or spirit: I will never really fathom the female psyche. psy·che2 / sīk/ • v. , n. , & adj. variant spelling of psych.

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"psyche." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"psyche." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-psyche005.html

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Psyche

Psy·che / ˈsīkē/ Greek Mythol. a Hellenistic personification of the soul as female, or sometimes as a butterfly. The allegory of Psyche's love for Cupid is told in The Golden Ass by Apuleius.

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psyche

psyche the human soul, mind, or spirit. The word comes (in the mid 17th century) via Latin from Greek psukhē ‘breath, life, soul’.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "psyche." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Psyche

Psyche In Greek mythology, a beautiful mortal woman loved by Eros. She was also the personification of the soul.

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"Psyche." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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psyche

psyche (sy-ki) n. the mind or the soul; the mental (as opposed to the physical) functioning of the individual.

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"psyche." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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psyche

psyche See PSYCHOANALYSIS.

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GORDON MARSHALL. "psyche." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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psyche

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"psyche." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

The e-psyche online database: Implications for the field of social psychology
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Franck: Psyche,.(New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, New York)(Review)
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Psyche's Progress: Soul- and Self-making from Keats to Wilde.(Critical Essay)
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