nonpsychic

Nonpsychic is an adjective used to indicate that something is not related to or does not involve psychic phenomena, mental processes, or alleged paranormal abilities. The term is mainly found in scholarly or critical writing, where it serves to distinguish naturalistic or ordinary explanations from those that invoke extrasensory or supernatural powers.

Etymology and form: the word is built from the prefix non- meaning "not" and the adjective psychic, which derives from Greek psyche "mind." The spelling appears without a hyphen in many modern uses (nonpsychic), while older or some style guides favor "non-psychic" or "non psychic."

Usage contexts: In psychology, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science, nonpsychic may describe explanations, symptoms, or properties that do not involve mental phenomena in the sense of psychic abilities. In parapsychology and popular discourse about paranormal claims, nonpsychic is used to contrast with "psychic" explanations or to classify experiences that can be accounted for by ordinary, nonpsychic mechanisms, such as perceptual errors or biases.

Limitations: The term is relatively rare in everyday language and can be ambiguous because "psychic" has broad senses beyond paranormal powers, including relating to the mind in general. Writers often substitute more precise phrases (non-psychic, non-psychological, non-paranormal) to avoid confusion.

See also: parapsychology; psychology; skepticism; cognitive biases.