psychischen

Psychisch is a German adjective meaning related to the mind or to mental processes, as opposed to the physical body. It is used to describe cognitive, emotional, or psychological aspects in everyday speech as well as in scientific and clinical contexts. The inflected form psychischen appears in various grammatical cases, for example in the dative feminine singular expression der psychischen Belastung or in the dative plural mit den psychischen Belastungen, among other endings depending on article and gender.

Etymology and background: The term derives from the Greek psyche, meaning mind or soul, combined with the German suffix -isch, which forms adjectives. In psychology and related fields the word has long been used to denote mental phenomena separate from physical conditions.

Common uses: The word appears in phrases such as psychische Gesundheit (mental health), psychische Belastungen (psychological stresses), psychische Erkrankung or psychische Störung (mental illness or psychological disorder), psychische Fähigkeiten (mental abilities), and psychische Eigenschaften (psychic or psychological traits). In everyday language, psychisch is often contrasted with körperlich to distinguish mental from bodily aspects. The term can carry neutral, clinical, or subjective connotations depending on context and tone.

See also: Psychology, Psychiatry, Mental health, Seelisch (a related German term focusing more on emotional or inner states).