seelische

Seelische is a German adjective that describes things relating to the soul, inner life, emotions, or spiritual aspects of a person. It is used to refer to subjective experiences and moral or character-related dimensions rather than to clinical or physical processes. Typical uses include phrases like seelische Gesundheit (emotional or mental well-being), seelische Verletzungen (emotional injuries), seelische Bedürfnisse (inner needs), and seelische Stärke (emotional resilience).

In contemporary language, seelisch and psychisch overlap, but they are not always interchangeable. Psychisch tends to be the broader, more clinical term used in medical, psychological, or scientific contexts to denote mental processes, psychiatric conditions, or cognitive aspects. Seelisch, by contrast, often emphasizes the inner life, feelings, moral considerations, or spiritual dimensions and is more common in literature, philosophy, theology, and everyday speech when those nuances are foregrounded.

Etymology traces seelische to the noun Seele (soul) with the adjective-forming suffix -isch. The root reflects traditional concepts of inner life and spirit that have figured prominently in German literature and thought.

Usage notes: While seelische is widely understood, for clinical discussions psychisch is typically preferred. In some contexts, das Seelische may be used as a noun to denote the inner life or soul-related realm, especially in philosophical or theological writing.

See also: Seelenkunde, Seelenbegriff, psychische Gesundheit, emotionale Gesundheit.